Despite the fact that the flexible permit system in Bahrain could be a possible alternative to the sponsorship system, experts stress that the clear elements of exploitation must be reviewed, given that there is an urgent need for a legislation clarifying the rights and responsibilities of parties related to the workers, employers and the government system.
The “Rights of Migrant Workers in the Middle East” website explained that contracts are not mandatory for flexible permit holders who work in the special account system, or who work for short periods.
Workers often accept to work without a contract, hence they become more vulnerable to wage disputes with their temporary employers.
The labor law is applicable to workers who have employment contracts with their employers, and therefore the labor law protects workers who have a flexible permit and work according to employment contracts with their employees.
However, the situation for other workers is less clear. for example, if a plumber is injured while conducting a temporary task at someone’s house, it is not clear who is responsible for the treatment costs.
It is also not clear whether the National Health Insurance System will cover the flexible permit holders who work partially with more than one employer.
The permit also obliges workers to purchase health insurance to be able to obtain private and public health services.
On the other hand, legally speaking, the employer bears the responsibility of returning a worker’s body to his country in case of death, with contracted workers.
However, the flexible permit system includes only 90 dinars as insurance for the return ticket, which is less than the cost of repatriating workers.
There is still difficulty in ascertaining the true size of the flexible permit subscribers due to the persistent misleading statements and campaigns by official bodies and the media.
The lack of transparency also from the governmental party, is an obstacle to knowing the realistic numbers of flexible permit subscribers.
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