Proposed and passed by the lower house in February, the rejected bill for the amendment of the labour market regulatory law 
bans expatriates from leaving the country before paying the fine.

Lawmaker and lawyer, Rabab Al Orayed, told the house that according to international conventions leaving work isn’t a crime. The current law only deports runaways for violating the residence regulations.

“Bahrainis aren’t receiving any legal action for leaving their jobs, so why we should punish expatriates for doing so, while our commitments to International Labour Organisation should oblige us to treat local and foreign workforce equally,” she said.  

 shamada@khaleejtimes.ae