99% of Bahrain firms comply with midday work ban

More than 99 percent of construction companies operating in Bahrain have complied with the afternoon work ban in July and August, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Jamil Humaidan, Minister of Labour, said less than one percent of companies had violated the law, which came into force on July 1, compared to two percent last year. The minister confirmed that over the last four years since enforcement of the new regulations to protect workers, the compliance rate had improved each year. He said in comments published by state news agency BNA that as a result of cooperation between employers and the Ministry, more workers than ever in the construction sector had been protected. Ministry inspectors began enforcement of the resolution after surveying all work sites from early May, recording 106 violations from a total number of 20,246 employers. The Minister stressed that inspections would continue to enforce "this civilised, humane and multi-dimensional resolution that promotes workers’ satisfaction with their job". He added that the resolution had helped reduce job-related accidents caused by heat exhaustion.In July, the UAE labour ministry said it made a total of 3,827 visits over a two week period and found that 99.7 percent of private firms have so far stuck to the rules. From / Arabian Business News