Job losses less than last year

FEWER Bahrainis have been sacked from their jobs in the private sector in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to the latest statistics.

Until June 24 this year, 270 citizens had lost their jobs in the private sector, as opposed to 766 in the first half of 2019, said the Labour and Social Development Ministry yesterday.

It was responding to claims on social media that a number of Bahrainis had been sacked by a private telecommunications company due to the negative impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

However, on investigation it was found that only one employee had been given the termination letter due to poor performance.

“The company carried out a performance assessment of its employees and during this period it dispensed with the services of only one employee because he did not pass the performance evaluation successfully,” said the ministry in a statement.

“It is a regular procedure followed by any establishment within the regulations and it is in accordance with what is determined by the labour contract signed between the two parties,” it added, noting that the percentage of Bahrainisation in the company was high and it was one of the companies that attracted Bahrainis.

“With regard to the effects of the spread of the coronavirus on the stability of national employment, the statistics and records of the ministry indicate a decrease in the number of those who have been fired in the first half of this year compared with those in the first half of last year.”

The ministry added that any layoffs that took place during the first six months of this year had nothing to do with the exceptional circumstances that the country was going through, but that some of them were related to conditions that occurred at the end of 2019.

Decrease

“The last three months, during which wages of Bahraini employees in the private sector were paid as part of a government support package, witnessed a remarkable decrease in the number of workers dismissed compared with the same period last year,” said the statement.

“As the number of Bahrainis dismissed reached 112, it was down 23 per cent from the same period (April-June) last year, despite the current economic conditions, indicating the success of the objectives of the government support package for the private sector in preserving the jobs of citizens.”

The ministry said, in co-operation with the relevant parties, it continued its efforts to avoid any unjustified layoffs in the private sector, as it worked on checking any list submitted by companies to ensure that Bahraini workers were not laid off until after all the solutions and methods had been exhausted to avoid the layoffs.

This included dismissing foreign labour first, in addition to the employer implementing all the required legal measures in the event of total or partial closure and layoffs.

The ministry has succeeded in re-employing many Bahraini workers affected by layoffs in other facilities that have better job security, after ensuring that they obtain their legal rights.

“The labour market enjoys stability and sustainability and the ability to face various challenges thanks to the unlimited support of the government, and Bahrain’s abundant labour and economic legislation abound in it.

“In addition, there is co-operation between the three production parties to make the local labour market more coherent and growing in various conditions so that it is able to generate more employment opportunities in the productive sectors,” said the ministry.

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/826288/Job-losses-less-than-last-year