General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain
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The General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain(Formerly known as the General Committee for Bahrain Workers) (Arabic: الاتحاد العام لنقابات عمال البحرين) (GFWTUB) is a national
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
federation in
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. It was established in 2002, by the
Workers Trade Union Law The Workers Trade Union Law was passed by Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, on September 24, 2002. It recognizes the right of workers to organize collectively, although Bahrain has not ratified the International Labour Organization Convent ...
granting workers the right to organize collectively. The General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain represents 80 unions and 25,000 members. To date, there have been 57 trade unions in Bahrain, of which 6 are in the public sector. It is an affiliate of both the
International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...
and the
International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions The International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU; ar:"الاتحاد الدولي لنقابات العمال العربي") is the international representation of trade unions in a number of Arab nations. Founded in 1956, the ICATU ...
.


History

The establishment of the Federation was part of a number of key labour reforms introduced under the Minister of Labour,
Majeed Al Alawi Majeed Mohsen Al Alawi is Bahrain's former Minister of Labour Affairs. For a short time, he was also Minister of Housing. Under his leadership, the country carried out wide-ranging labour reforms with potentially profound implications for its econ ...
. The
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when ...
' Annual Survey 2005 highlighted: "Bahrain, a bright spot in an otherwise dismal landscape of persistent labour rights violations in the Middle East". According to the ICFTU: :''Bahrain has set the standard for the Gulf region in terms of positive developments. The right to form trade unions has existed since 2002, although only one national trade union centre is recognised, and other rights are still limited. The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions held its founding congress in January 2004 and in December became the first organisation in the Gulf States to become a member of the ICFTU. It has been actively involved in tripartite discussions, including on labour legislation.'' In October 2006,
King Hamad Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999. He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
signed a law banning the sacking of employees engaged in trade union activities. Under an amended law, the courts must reinstate a sacked worker and award them compensation if it is proved that they were sanctioned for such activities. The King's move followed criticism by the ICTFU of the sacking in July 2005 of
Gulf Air Gulf Air ( ar, طيران الخليج ''Ṭayarān al-Khalīj'') is the state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950 by British Pilot Freddie Bosworth as Gulf Aviation. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline ...
's trade union head shortly after his election. In 2012, the General Secretary of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU), Said S. Salman Jaddar Al Mahfoodh, received the 2012 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award on behalf of their respective labor movements. He released the following statement: “This award does not only belong to the GBFTU, but first and foremost, it belongs to the more than 4,000 Bahraini workers and unionists who have been suffering from unjust firings and the consequences of expressing their opinions. It also belongs to the Bahraini people, who are still struggling for freedom, democracy and social justice.”


Split in the General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain

In 2012, a split in the labor movement in Bahrain following civil unrest resulted in the establishment of the Bahrain Labour Union Free Federation. The president of the Bahrain Labour Union Free Federation criticized the GFWTUB for being too political and "not being related to labour anymore." However, this split was criticized by labour experts and trade unionists in the GFWTUB as a move to weaken the Bahraini labor movement, noting that several of the 12 unions representing workers at major companies in Bahrain have alleged ties to the Royal family. Newspapers reported employers punishing employees who sought to unionize at work under the GFBTU umbrella. Additionally, there were reports that some workers were pressured to form unions under the government-supervised federation. In 2019, the Bahrain Labour Union Free Federation that seceded from the General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain disunited after the withdrawal of four affiliated trade unions.


Work on the protection of migrant workers

The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions has conducted a survey in 2020 to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers in Bahrain. The General Federation of Workers Trade Unions in Bahrain has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) in 2019.


References


Further reading


ILO experts to launch labour market project
Gulf Daily News, 12 October 2006
Project to lay ground for labour reforms
Gulf Daily News, 12 October 2006
Bahrain: Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights (2006)
ICTFU, 6 January 2006
Bahrain trade union movement shows the way for region
ICTFU, 8 April 2004 Trade unions in Bahrain Trade unions established in 2002 National federations of trade unions 2002 establishments in Bahrain {{Bahrain-stub International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions