His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired at Gudaibiya Palace the weekly cabinet meeting.
The ministerial council congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Bahraini people on the National Day and the 13th anniversary of HM’s accession to the throne.
He called on citizens to take advantage of the national occasion to rally ranks and promote national unity and cohesion.
HRH the Prime Minister described regional and international security as the need of the hour amidst current challenges.
He said regional and international functions and initiatives, like the Manama Dialogue Forum, are a necessity as they aim to promote dialogue as a means to ensure peace, security and stability.
He praised active participation in Manama Dialogue Forum which, he said, underscores global keenness to ensure security and stability prevail in the region.
The cabinet hailed holding the 6th meeting of the GCC National Assemblies Chairpersons in Bahrain, underlining the importance of such meetings in unifying efforts to work out new mechanisms to bolster GCC cooperation and enhance the bloc’s capability to face challenges.
HRH the Prime Minister directed all ministers to cooperate effectively with the legislative power and substantiate their replies to the representatives’ queries with the needed documents for the sake of more clarity.
He also instructed relevant bodies to coordinate with concerned institutions before taking any executive or legal procedures for a draft law so as to foster the principle of partnership in decision-making and ensure utmost benefit for targeted parties.
HRH hailed the appointment of Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to his new post as State Minister for Communication Affairs which, he said will contribute to upgrading the sector.
Then, the cabinet reviewed the labour fees as well as their impact and contribution to achieving set up goals in light of the general economic situation.
The council decided to extend a freeze on the monthly labour fees, which started in April 2011 and is expected to end on December 31, for an extra six months, bringing the government’s moratorium to 27 months to further boost the national economy and support businessmen.
HRH the Prime Minister directed to enhance productivity and upgrade the government’s performance by promoting the culture of excellence and relying on the competitiveness labs.
The cabinet reviewed progress in implementing 587 government projects and decided to refer a memorandum by the State Minister for Follow-up Affairs in this regard to the Ministerial Committee for Services and Infrastructure.
The ministerial council gave the go-ahead to the setting up of a comprehensive high-tech lab for fish farming, in cooperation with China, and tasked the Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry to take the necessary procedures for that, in coordination with relevant parties.
The cabinet approved naming the Social Development Ministry as a specialized administrative body in charge of societies, accommodation places and cultural and social clubs of the expatriate communities or those created by private companies and establishments.
The council approved fully-paid official holidays for private sector workers, as per article 64 of the private sector Labour Law number 36 for 2012. Those holidays are the New Hijri Year, Ashoora, the Birth of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) anniversary, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, the New Year and the International Labour Day.
The cabinet gave the green light to sign the Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol (1999), regarding depleting substances of the ozone layer, and tasked to take the necessary executive measures for that.