Minimum Wage in Bahrain In the Wake of Domestic Worker Discussion

In early April the Bahraini Parliament approved an unprecedented minimum wage law for government employees and members of the Armed Forces amounting to 300 Bahraini Dinars (BD) per month (approx. 795 USD).

The Gulf Daily News Reports that the new minimum wage law will take effect January 1, 2011 and will cost the Bahraini Government 100 million Bahrain Dinars annually and will incorporate the total 1,023 government employees currently receiving a salary lower than 300 BD per month, accounting for a total of 37,000 employees eligible for the new minimum wage.

The new minimum wage law will now be ratified by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Although a significant step forward, this minimum wage affects only a small percentage of Bahrain's workforce and does not consider salaries of migrant and domestic workers.

However, it appears that new attention is being focused on establishing a minimum wage for domestic female workers following a recent move by the Filipino Government's Office of Overseas Employment Administration, which is now demanding that salaries for its overseas housemaids be increased to 400 USD per month. Bahrain's Labor Market Regulatory Authority has already responded by stating that laws issued in the Philippines will not be binding in Bahrain.

Issues of a minimum wage and days-off for female expat workers were also the primary topics at a debate and subsequent roundtable discussion for selected prominent female activists at the Bahrain National Museum in late March.

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) Women, Children and Minorities rights director Hala Ramzy Fayez said that all domestic workers should have the right to a minimum wage, weekly day of rest, be given maternity leave, and public holidays.

In a quotation from her organization's website, Ms Fayez stated that ""although on the whole, migrant workers enjoy labour rights and a good working environment, there are some sectors where some suffer from low pay, an inappropriate working environment and living conditions resulting in unpleasant experiences." She added that estimating the prevalence of abuse was difficult, given the lack of reporting mechanisms available - which in turn caused a lack of legal protection for domestic workers.