Port workers step up protest in Bahrain

More than 400 Marine Port Union members in Bahrain have stepped up their protest campaign by wearing red ribbons against an alleged lack of a negotiation structure with officials.

The ribbons were swapped from blue to red, which will be worn for the rest of the week.

A protest will follow at the opening of the Khalifa Bin Salman Port on November 11 if issues are not resolved, said union chairman Salman Al Saad.

The employees of APM Terminal and Svitzer companies, who manage the port, are demanding the management come up with a negotiation mechanism on labour issues.

They are also demanding transportation allowance from both companies.

Employees from the Svitzer Company are additionally demanding to be provided with health insurance as well as shift allowance.

The union maintains the companies had refused all attempts by the union to negotiate employees' demands since it was established two years ago.

It claims that the Labour Ministry presented a negotiation mechanism to be signed by the companies, but they refused.

It alleged that the companies twice asked the union to sign its version of the memorandum mechanism.

Al Saad said that a meeting would be held today with Denmark-based company Human Resources manager in the hopes of coming up with a common ground.

'We hope the meeting finds a solution that satisfies all parties without the need to resolve to a protest,' he said.

APM Terminal maintains said the company already pays the employees transportation allowances, which was part of their salaries.

It said that Svitzer also pays for the employees' medical bills as it is self insured.

Top officials claimed the management had not received a method of negotiation from the ministry, but had been presented with one mechanism by the union.

They said that they were waiting for the ministry, which was coming up with a negotiating method to be followed.