Job Discussion Forums

boofiya · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 3

Read about my wonderful year of experience at SPS...

The school has not paid us our vacation pay (21 days as written in the contract) saying that these 'vacation days' were taken during breaks over the course of the school year. For our part, we have stated that these were forced holidays and that the contract never mentioned an agreement like this.

The Ministry of Labor seems to agree with our interpetation but says that we must sue. Does anyone have any experience with the courts here? What can I do?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

My advcice is move on and regard this whole business as a "learning experience".

medway · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 17

This is a bit late as encouragement, but I found the Bahraini Labour Court quite helpful: the Gulf University hired me as an english tutor on the MA program, while I was also working for Bahrain Uni, then tried to get rid of me [ internal politics, its a long story] ...the labour court upheld the contract and they had to pay me to the end of the year! Oh, What a glorious feeling... how does the song go?

The Barbarian · Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 21

Hey Medway - how the devil did you get two university positions in Bahrain?

medway · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 17

There was a dynamic young dean brought in to rescue the MA program at Gulf Univ. He hired me to help with the language aspect of the theses...eventually he fell foul of internal politics and was marginalised. Even though we got the program running again and got people back on track after years of floating in limbo, he was maybe too sucessful for the Egyptian mafia.They started inventing new layers of bureaucracy between him and the Rector, and eventually he got pissed off and left for Hong Kong. I got informed that I was no longer needed...technically they shouldn't have employed me in the first place without asking permission of BU first. I said I had a valid contract, and went to the labour court. I had the pleasure of telling their head acountant "Bring your cheque-book! " They had to pay me for the rest of the year.
How is the Gulf Univ now? I think it was already failing back in '95. One of those idealistic ventures that all the Gulf States would share in financing...of course that didn't last long! At least BU got to inherit their fine modern campus to BU.

The Barbarian · Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 21

Here's a long shot and apologies if it sail cross bows into the forever after - but are you a half Indian guy with a moustache?

medway · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 17

are you wondering if we know each other? I haven't had a moustache since the seventies. And I worked in Bahrain from 92-95.