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Viewing cable 06MANAMA1979, GOB SPECIFIES BAHRAIN STRIKE BAN SECTORS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06MANAMA1979 2006-11-29 13:43 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Manama
VZCZCXRO1361
OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMK #1979/01 3331343
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 291343Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6082
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001979 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE 
USTR FOR JBUNTIN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2016 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB BA BILAT HUMRIT ECTRD
SUBJECT: GOB SPECIFIES BAHRAIN STRIKE BAN SECTORS 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U) This is an action request.  Please see para 12. 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
2.  (C) Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa 
issued an executive order November 20 that bans labor union 
strikes at facilities deemed to be in vital sectors.  Going 
beyond the text of the 2002 Labor Union Law, the order 
extends the vital sectors definition to the oil, gas, and 
education sectors and even to health centers, pharmacies, and 
bakeries.  The General Federation of Bahraini Trade Unions 
(GFBTU) said it would present the case to international labor 
organizations to demand the right to strike.  GFBTU Deputy 
Secretary General Sayed Salman Al Mahfoodh said that the 
 
SIPDIS 
federation would also raise the issue with the new parliament 
after the elections and push to limit the government's 
authority to identify sectors with a ban on strikes.  Several 
leaders of large Bahraini unions Emboffs spoke with expressed 
their concern about the weakening of the power of Bahraini 
workers.  Director of Labor Relations at the Ministry of 
Labor Shaikh Ali Bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa said that there 
had not been opposition to earlier legislation in this area, 
and he dismissed the reaction to the PM's order as largely 
political due to the elections.  End summary. 
 
3.  (U) A 2006 amendment to the 2002 Labor Union Law gave the 
Prime Minister the authority to issue an executive order 
changing the sectors in which a ban on strikes would be 
enforced, which previously had been security, civil defense, 
airports, sea ports, hospitals, transportation, 
telecommunications, electricity, and water.  The PM issued 
executive order 62 of 2006 on November 20 that extends the 
ban to health centers, pharmacies, means of transportation 
(people and products), oil and gas, education, and bakeries, 
in addition to the sectors stated in the 2002 law.  According 
to the order, strikes are banned in locations at which the 
occurrence of strikes "could disturb the national security or 
disrupt the course of daily life for the public." 
 
---------------------------- 
Labor Federation Indignation 
---------------------------- 
 
4.  (U) The GFBTU issued a statement November 21 rejecting 
the PM's order, saying that it would take the case to Arab 
and international labor organizations to demand the rights of 
workers to strike.  GFBTU spokesperson Jaffar Khalil said 
publicly that the federation considered this a step backward 
for Bahrain's union movement.  The order goes against the 
trade union law, which accepts strikes as a peaceful and 
legitimate form of action to protect the economic and social 
benefits of workers.  Khalil said that the federation would 
consider legal action to prevent enforcement of the order. 
He said that the federation agreed that there could be 
restrictions on strikes in the health care sector and 
electricity production, but the federation was against the 
ban on strikes in the other sectors. 
 
5.  (U) GFBTU Deputy Secretary General Sayed Salman Al 
Mahfoodh also told the press that the order goes against all 
international labor conventions that define "vital 
facilities."  Including airports, hospitals, educational 
institutions, and oil and gas facilities as vital facilities, 
and therefore banning strikes there, goes against 
international standards.  He said the federation would raise 
the issue with the new parliament and ask it to amend the 
authority given to the executive to determine the sectors in 
which strikes are banned. 
 
6.  (C) In a conversation with Emboff November 23, Al 
Mahfoodh stated that the federation should have been 
consulted before drafting such an order.  The federation must 
be a partner in discussing, drafting, and amending 
regulations that have the potential of weakening workers' 
rights in Bahrain.  Al Mahfoodh scoffed at the inclusion of 
bakeries in the order's list, asking rhetorically, "What 
effect does a bakery strike have on national security?" 
 
------------------------------------ 
Political Society and Union Reaction 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
MANAMA 00001979  002 OF 003 
 
 
7.  (SBU) In an Al Wifaq political society press release 
November 23, the society stated that this kind of decision 
must involve all three labor stakeholders - government, 
management, and workers - and not be declared unilaterally, 
since this kind of decision affects a very large number of 
workers.  At a gathering of supporters that evening at a 
campaign tent, Al Wifaq Secretary General Shaikh Ali Salman 
stated that this step affects labor's morale and weakens the 
workforce.  He advised the government to develop a positive 
approach to increasing worker salaries and promoting a more 
labor-friendly workplace. 
 
8.  (C) Batelco (Bahrain Telecommunication Company) Trade 
Union President Maki Isa told Emboff November 23 that the 
union was currently in the process of negotiating a salary 
increase with Batelco's executive management.  However, this 
new order undercuts the union's bargaining position, taking 
away the leverage contained in a strike threat.  Without the 
option of strikes in these fields, the unions, and by 
extension the federation, are weakened. 
 
9.  (C) In a conversation with Emboff November 28, Bahrain 
Airport Services Trade Union President Abdulla Hussein 
expressed his concern that the executive order appears to 
include all those involved in airport services, logistics, 
retail sales, and employees in the national air carrier Gulf 
Air.  He said most countries only recognize air traffic 
controllers as vital employees.  He stated that the language 
of the order is vague, so it is unclear how far it will 
extend, but at the airport it could affect up to 4,000 
Bahrainis who work there. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Ministry Claims Criticism Politically Motivated 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
10.  (C) When asked about the reaction to the order by the 
federation and unions, Director of Labor Relations at the 
Ministry of Labor Shaikh Ali Bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa told 
Poloff November 29 that the reaction was largely politically 
motivated.  He drew attention to GFBTU Deputy Secretary 
General Al Mahfoodh's candidacy in the parliamentary 
election.  Shaikh Ali said that there had not been any 
objection to the 2002 legislation when it was originally 
passed, nor was there opposition to the 2006 amendment 
allowing the Prime Minister to specify the vital sectors.  He 
explained that ever since the Labor Union Law was passed in 
2002, the Ministry has worked with the federation and 
individual unions to try to build their capabilities to work 
constructively to address the concerns of workers.  Claiming 
it is unique to Bahrain among all Arab countries, the 
Ministry convinced employers to allow union heads to be 
exempted from all work responsibilities, while receiving 
their full salary, so they can focus all their attention on 
worker concerns.  The Ministry has held two of a scheduled 
three meetings to encourage the GFBTU and the Bahrain Chamber 
of Commerce and Industry to hold bilateral meetings over 
issues of concern without the need for the Ministry of 
Labor's involvement.  In conclusion Shaikh Ali said that the 
Ministry has always tried to strike a balance in its position 
between labor and management.  "If we back business too much, 
there are problems for workers; if we back workers too much, 
business will be affected, thereby affecting the economy and 
the investment climate." 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
11.  (C) The reaction to the PM's edict was swift and strong, 
even as most of the country's attention was focused on the 
then imminent elections.  Although the spirit of this ban 
appears more far-reaching than previous legislation, there is 
an ambiguity about how far the ban actually extends in each 
particular sector.  It may take Ministry of Labor action or 
court decisions to clarify some of these questions if and 
when the executive order is applied. 
 
-------------- 
Action Request 
-------------- 
 
12.  (C) Although it is still unclear how far this new strike 
ban will reach, on the face of it the PM's executive order 
appears to retreat from the spirit of commitments voiced 
during FTA negotiations to implement legislation ensuring the 
 
MANAMA 00001979  003 OF 003 
 
 
protection of labor rights.  Post seeks guidance with talking 
points that Emboffs may use to engage GOB officials on this 
issue.  In conjunction with the Bahraini parliamentary 
elections, a new government will be formed within the next 
seven to ten days, and Post expects several new ministerial 
appointments.  Post would seek to deliver talking points to 
any new Minister of Labor and others concerned with FTA 
implementation and labor matters. 
 
 
********************************************* ******** 
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ 
********************************************* ******** 
MONROE