Pro-Sponsorship Protests

Bahrain's business community is calling for demonstrations in favor of retaining the country's sponsorship system for guest workers:

"A Bahraini non-governmental society has threatened to launch a wave of strikes and rallies and issue calls for resignations to help reverse the decision to scrap the sponsorship system for foreigners.

"'The action threats were sparked by the decisions of the labour ministry and which are invariably targeting the economically-challenged sections of the society,' Waheed Al Dossari, the honorary head of the Bahrain Fishermen Society, said. 'However, our actions will this time be loud and clear, especially that our movement has already won the support of butchers and vegetable and fruit sellers,' he said.

"The society and its sympathisers will hold rallies in several areas in Bahrain to prove that the decisions by the labour ministry were imposed on the weaker sections, Al Dossari said...

"Last month, Majeed Al Alawi, the labour minister, said that Bahrain would scrap the sponsorship system, likening it to modern-day slavery. Under the system applied in all Gulf countries, foreigners cannot enter the country or take up employment unless they are sponsored by their company."