COUNTRY

In Bahrain, an employment contract must be written and contain the basic terms of the work salary, work hours, workplace location, responsibilities, bonuses and various consents for probation, annual leave, other types of leave, notice, overtime and dismissals. An employment contract can be for a fixed-term or permanent, and the employer can terminate the contract by providing notice, or if the specific project has come to an end. Employers can request that the employee presents a Certificate of Good Conduct from the Criminal Investigation Directorate.

The standard workweek in Bahrain is 48 hours with eight hours per day, although employers may require only 40 hours a week. Muslim employees work six hours a day during Ramadan. The working week is Sunday to Thursday. Overtime is paid at time and a quarter, except for night work which is paid at time and a half.

Employees in Bahrain receive 35 days of paid sick leave after 90 days of service. Sick leave is paid in full for the first 15 days, and half paid for the following 20 days. If sickness continues beyond the paid sick leave period, then they receive an additional 20 days without pay. The entitlement of a worker to sick leave on full or half pay may be accumulated for a period not exceeding a total of 240 days.

Female employees are entitled to 75 days of maternity leave in Bahrain. The first 60 days are at full pay if they can produce a medical certificate. The remaining 15 days are unpaid leave. They cannot return to work for 40 days after giving birth. They are also entitled to two breastfeeding breaks of an hour each, for up to six months after birth. Male employees receive a day of paternity leave.

There is no legally mandated minimum wage for private companies in Bahrain. Those working in the public sector must receive at least BHD 300 a month. Employees receive a holiday bonus that is 50% of their base monthly salary during the holiday period and a bonus of 50% base salary for December after a year of service.

Employees receive 30 days of vacation leave in Bahrain. During the first year of employment, an employee may take 2.5 days of leave per month of service. Employees receive three days of paid leave for their wedding. Muslim employees receive 14 days of paid leave for a pilgrimage after five years of service.

In Bahrain, the public holidays are:

• New Year’s Day

• May Day

• Eid Al Fitr

• Arafat Day

• Eid Al-Adha

• Muharram

• Ashoora

• Prophet’s Birthday

• National Day

Most people access primary healthcare, and this is free for Bahraini citizens whereas foreigners pay per visit.

In Bahrain, the probation period is capped at three months, and fixed term contracts are capped at 60 months. The notice period in Bahrain is 30 days, and employees with at least three months of service receive severance pay, with two days of salary for each month served. Employees receive an end of service payment if they are not covered by social security. They receive two weeks for each year of service up to three years, and then a month for each further year. If an employer terminates a contract within three months of employment, the employee is not entitled to any compensation. For an unfair dismissal, the employee receives a month of pay as compensation. Employers can terminate an employee for poor performance. They must give the employee two months to improve their performance. If terminated, the employee will not receive compensation. Employers can terminate employees for economic reasons if they provide 30 days of notice and severance pay. Employees can also be terminated for falsifying their identity, misconduct, failure to follow instructions and warnings, being absent for 10 days without notifying their employer, if they are not medically fit to work, if they have committed a crime such as sexual harassment or assault, both verbal and physical, or if the employee commits a criminal offence at work.