Bahrain to end labor sponsorship

MANAMA - Labor rights groups on Wednesday welcomed Bahrain’s decision to become the first Gulf Arab state to end a system binding foreign workers to employers, a practice critics say is open to abuse.
The state Minister of Labor, Majeed al-Alawi, said the new policy would create a “more liberalized and dynamic” labor market by allowing workers to move from one employer to another.
“Hopefully it will create an incentive for employers to compete ... to attract workers with better working conditions,” said Nisha Varia, who monitors global migration issues for New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch. She called on larger neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia to follow suit.