International Workers' Day News from the Middle East

INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY NEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.

BAHRAIN

The cabinet has extended congratulations to Bahrain's workers on the International Workers' Day, expressing its sincere thanks and appreciation to all workers who have contributed to the nation-building process and to progress in Bahrain.

The cabinet praised the efforts of workers and their trade unions in improving the work environment and preserving labour gains, calling on workers to keep up their endeavours to improve their performance and increase their productivity.

QATAR

Qatar Charity (QC) has launched a campaign to honour local workers for their role in helping build Qatar, under the title “Greetings to Workers”. The campaign aims to offer official recognition for the ongoing efforts of workers in the construction of vital infrastructure projects in Qatar, by collecting personal care items and distributing them as gifts on the occasion of International Workers’ Day on May 1. The campaign targets 5,000 workers in Qatar, who will be presented with gifts that include a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, comb, hand soap, shampoo, deodorant, socks, a cap and hand steriliser, helping contribute to the provision of a clean and healthy environment.

QC has urged individuals and companies to donate to the campaign until April 30 by either purchasing the campaign’s gift box from commercial complexes (Villaggio, Hyatt Plaza and Landmark), filling it with the appropriate items and returning the box to QC to distribute to the workers, or via their mobile phones by sending an SMS to 92133 to donate QR25, to 92632 to donate QR50, or to 92642 to donate QR100. The gifts will be distributed to the benefiting workers from May 1 to 3. “The campaign falls within QC’s local development department’s strategy, covering three dimensions: social, economic and cultural, keeping us up to date with the National Development Strategy 2011/2016, as part of Qatar National Vision 2030.

United Development Company (UDC), a leading Qatari shareholding company, has signed up as the gold sponsor of ‘Qatar Labors Rights Protection’ progress report book set to be released on May 1, which marks the celebration of International Workers’ Day. The book will be officially launched at a press conference on May 3 under the patronage of Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani and will comprise 350 pages of valuable and informative Arabic content which will be widely distributed locally and internationally to all concerned entities, said a statement.