Bahrain: Tamkeen steps up efforts to monitor wage support applications

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Bahrain’s Labour Fund (Tamkeen) is implementing a comprehensive monitoring plan to unify all efforts and address any violations or suspicions related to its support programmes.

This includes increasing monitoring visits, strengthening legal frameworks, and coordinating with relevant authorities.

In line with this, Tamkeen has announced that it is intensifying its monitoring efforts to oversee wage support applications with the aim of enhancing the support impact and minimising any potential misuse. In addition, a number of Tamkeen’s employees have recently been authorised as judicial officers as part of its efforts to enhance the legal frameworks and follow-up procedures and to work closely with other relevant authorities, which in turn, will take the necessary actions for detected cases.

New oversight standards

Since the announcement of the new programmes, Tamkeen has worked to establish new oversight standards suited to these programmes. An improved monitoring plan has been implemented with the aim of doubling inspection efforts on enterprises and individuals, maintaining regular communication with beneficiaries, increasing coordination with the Ministry of Labour and relevant authorities to address suspected violations, and providing a whistleblowing hotline for affected individuals to report any suspicions.

In terms of proactive monitoring on wage support programmes, a new mechanism has been developed that combines an advanced data science model with personal monitoring by the team through site visits. Additionally, the automated system has been updated with warning indicators to identify cases where violations are suspected, such as discrepancies in employee numbers or the size of the enterprise or its economic sector.

Additionally, there has been an increase in inspection visits to enterprises benefiting from wage support programmes to detect cases of illegal employment or wage manipulation. Since the beginning of this year, over 2,450 inspection visits have been conducted to these enterprises, resulting in the discovery of 237 violations.

Violation regulations

According to the violation regulations, Tamkeen has the right to reclaim the support funds or deny beneficiaries access to future support programmes if the funds misuse has been proven in violation of the terms and conditions of the programmes, in addition to referring them to relevant authorities to take the necessary actions in case of any criminal suspicion.

The team continues its visits to enterprises benefiting from enterprise support programmes, particularly those receiving support for purchasing equipment. Payments are made only after verifying that the machinery and equipment were purchased according to the specifications mentioned in the support approval.

Additionally, another visit is conducted to ensure the enterprises’ compliance with the contract terms.

Tamkeen has renewed its call for general public, both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of support programmes, to report any violations or misconduct through designated channels.