Bahraini labour minister highlights conclusive supplementary trilateral agreement

Labour Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan stressed the finality and irrevocability of the supplementary trilateral agreement which would be deemed as a final settlement of the dossier and thus nullification of the complaint lodged versus the Kingdom of Bahrain at the International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding the dossier of demobilized workers in the aftermath of the unfortunate incidents of early 2011.In answer to MP Khalid Al-Malood's question during the House of Representatives' grilling session, the Labour Minister said that the agreement basically aims to wrap up the role of the ILO in that issue and to ensure non-interference in Bahraini affairs or in its sovereignty and means addressing the dossier via national channels and under national regulations and closing the doors for any ILO interference in this matter.Whenever co-signed by the three sides: a- the Labour Ministry b- the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and c- the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU), the agreement shall be considered as an acknowledgement by all its signatory parties that the Government of Bahrain has exerted all possible efforts in the reinstatement of all wrongfully-dismissed workers in compliance with the Royal directives issued for this purpose, Minister Humaidan said.The agreement stipulates that the GFBTU shall officially notify the head of the ILO's work team – two copies of such notification shall be provided to the ILO's board of directors chairman and to the ILO's general director – in order for the ILO to write off the complaint that had been lodged versus the Government of Bahrain and so that the case shall be deemed finally and irrevocably closed without any need for taking further action(s), the Minister concluded.