GFBTU Press- Release concerning the deteriorating and dangerous situation of workers’ funds in GOSI. The following Press- Release has been issued by GFBTU concerning what has been published recently about a deficit in the Civil Sector’s Social Security Fund: The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) expresses its deep concern on the situation of available funds, as well as the rights of insured persons in GOSI which covers under its umbrella people working in both private and public sectors. The GFBTU considers what has been published in a local newspaper on this subject, in meantime the silence observed by GOSI, arean evidence of truth, as GOSI made neither comments nor denial concerning the critical situation of insured workers’ funds.Based upon this, GFBTU would like to emphasis clearly on the following points: Firstly: the GFBTU considers the announcements made by some sources in GOSI, as dangerous and highly -disturbing about the situation of Social Security Funds managed by GOSI. The GFBTU affirms that these announcements were made suddenly in the context of consequences of falling oil-prices on the economic situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as if making a prelude to a certain measure to be taken related to GOSI, although it is well known that the deteriorating situations of Social Security Funds are prior to the issue of the falling oil-prices. We believe it is unreasonable to link the situations of Funds managed by GOSI with the issue of oil-prices, it is rather unconvincing issue. Secondly: the GFBTU would like to assure the Bahraini public opinion, in particularly workers in both civil public and private sectors, that our federation has been deprived from its legitimate right to membership in GOSI’s Board of Administration, this is a flagrant legal violation, which has also contributed to a state of untransperancy in the work of the Board of Administration. It also leads to a state of an official individuality in the management of funds of insured persons without the participation of GFBTU in its capacity as workers’ representative in Bahrain.Consequentlyour federation cannot be held responsible for the situation prevailing in the Social Security Funds, as these Funds contain the funds and savings of workers which they have collected throughout the years of their working life and via their hard work. Therefore GFBTU cannot be held responsible for any financial statement or data made by the Board of Administration either officially or unofficially. Thirdly: as far as what has been reported by sources close to GOSI on the impact of early retirement on the financial position of Social Security Funds, we would like to clarify here several reasons for early retirement, first of all is that workenvironment became repellent to qualified people and uncomfortable to them, these reasons hasnothing to do with work and its kind, or qualifications of worker and employee. This repellent environment has forced many qualified people to turn away from jobs. Unfortunately this has happened with the facilitation of some parties who wanted to get ridof many workers and employees for reasonsthat have nothing to do with their qualifications. In this context GFBTU wishes also to remind that early retirement was the outcome of the policy of privatization or restructuring practiced by some official parties, such as the failing experience of Gulf Air, as an example, as many official or governmental enterprises have been privatized, and many official offers of early retirement were made to workers in these enterprises for attractive retirement. As a result quite big numbers of workers and employees went for early retirement. GFBTU would like also to remark that the phenomena of early retirement will not cease as long as the work environment continue to adopt the policy of getting rid of workers and employees, as many of them will think seriously to go for early retirement. Fourthly: GFBTU believes that the amendments which have been introduced into Labour Code, have created new and unfair provisions, having a direct impact on GOSI, in particularly what was provided in Labour Code No 36 / 2012, specifically Articles 110, 111, 115 which provide for dismissal of workers as a penalty to be taken against them. Fifthly: GFBTU remarks a clear confusion in the accounts of retirement expenditure, especially in the allowance of improving living conditions which must come from public finance and to be included in the State Budget. This allowance must not be accounted twice at the same time, once from State Budget, and once from GOSI’s expenditure. Sixthly: all what has been mentioned about the allowances of retired persons which have been adopted lately, are in fact rights that must be given to workers since many years, especially what have been provided for by Law No 3/2008 which provides for unifying advantages for three sectors, civil, military, and private, in accordance to the principle of best advantage. Seventhly: the investments conducted by GOSI must be directed to productive projects with value-added, such projects must create sustainable and decent work opportunities for Bahraini nationals, as this will have direct positive impact on the revenues of GOSI through their subscriptions, instead in investing in precarious economic projects such as shares and real-estates. Eighthly: there is a need to be transparent by announcing measures that are taken to correct mistakes and violations already revealed in Financial Auditing Reports during the last ten years. Ninthly: we recall the importance of minimum wage regime which should have also an effective inspection for the accuracy of subscription collection on all actual salaries. GFBTU 23.12.2014
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 10:42:25 +0000
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