Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) Undersecretary Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa affirmed on that the withholding of foreign workers’ passports on the pretext of protecting employers’ rights, claiming they might run away or leave the country without their knowledge, was not a civil way to tackle the issue as the passport was an owner’s personal document and belonged to the country that issued it.
He said the employers should protect their rights through clear contracts that safeguard the rights of both parties. “The likelihood of a worker running away without an employer’s knowledge could be sorted out in coordination with the NPRA,” he said.
He praised the coordination and cooperation of all bodies concerned with regulating the affairs of foreign workers in Bahrain. He also highlighted the facilities provided to the foreign manpower in the country. He appreciated the coordination of employers in protecting the reputation of Bahrain vis-a-vis the foreign labour and the cooperation of the embassies in Bahrain in facilitating the stay of their nationals working in Bahrain. This, he said, contributed in the Kingdom’s development and prosperity.
Director of Search and Follow-up Colonel Ghazi Saleh Sinan said that withholding of foreign workers’ passports by their employers won’t help as the authorities concerned had the right to issue passports to their nationals if there was a travel ban imposed on them by the court.
He said the withholding of passports was also illegal, unless there were court orders. He said that an employer’s refusal to hand over a worker’s passports in case of a dispute should be tackled through a court by filing a legal case and thereafter respecting the court ruling.