Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Representatives of public sector unions were absent from the third general conference of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) which concludes on Monday (March 7, 2016), due to what they described as "their difficult conditions", and BATELCO Trade Union was only represented by one member of its general secretariat, Khatoun Al-Aradi.

During the conference meetings, heated discussions took place over the legitimacy of BATELCO Trade Union's participation in the conference, after its board of directors withdrew in December 2015, a decision which the GFBTU didn't recognize and deemed null and void since it was made "by a commission that doesn't have the authority to do so." The GFBTU then considered the BATELCO Trade Union board of directors dissolved after 6 of its members retired and another dismissed, with the Ministry of Labour's approval, and then announced taking charge of the union until its board of directors is reformed.

The discussion led to approving BATELCO Trade Union's participation and vote in this conference, on the term that the union fix its situation within six months.

The GFBTU awaits the election of fresh faces after prominent members of the general secretariat riteried or didn't want to run in the election. In addition to the resigned Secretary-General Sayed Salman Al-Mahfouz, other members will not be part of the board of directors of the federation, including the deputy secretary-general Ibrahim Hamad, assistant secretary-general for social security Falah Hashem, assistant secretary-general for union organization, and deputy secretary for Arab and international relations.

These names represent a long history in the trade union world, and many are concerned that their absence would gravely affect the improving role of trade union work in Bahrain.

Fresh face will lead the trade union movement in Bahrain for the next four years and will fill the 15 seats of the general secretariat and main positions including that of the secretary-general. 27 unionist have run for these posts, including Kareem Radhi, Jaafar Khalil, Mohammad Ali Makki, Hassan Halawachi, Abdulqader Al-Shehabi, Joma'a Al-binkhalil, Mohammad Idrabouh, Mohammad Hassan Al Mosa'ed, Majeed Al-Halaibi, Hussein Khaleel Al-Asfour, Khatoun Al-Aradi, Roa Al-Alawi, Zainab Abou Deeb, Soad Mubarak, Saeed Al-Majed, Salman Al-Saad, Abdulazeez AlSendi, Abdulwahed Al-Najjar, Ali Ghanem, Ali Al-Rosani, Mahdia Jassem, Najat Abdul'al, and Yousef Ahmad.

Arabic Issue