Manama, Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions held a celebration on International Labour Day. Jameel bin Mohammad Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, MP Abdulnabi Salman, First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Sameer Abdullah Nass, Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and Abdul Qadir Abdul Karim Al Shehabi, Secretary-General of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions, attended. The minister conveyed the greetings of HM the King and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to all workers in Bahrain, expressing his pride in their contribution to the comprehensive development in Bahrain. Minister Humaidan said that Bahrain continues its development efforts guided by the vision of HM King Hamad. He noted that the Silver Jubilee of the accession of His Majesty the King was an occasion to recount the outstanding achievements accomplished d uring the reign of His Majesty, which have gained international acclaim on multiple fronts. He added that the outcome of these achievements has been maximised with the support and follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and his keenness to develop the competitive environment to support economic growth and provide job opportunities and a decent life for citizens. The minister hailed HM the King's royal decree pardoning inmates who have been convicted for riot and criminal cases on HM's silver jubilee and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister's directives to provide training programmes and job opportunities for those pardoned inmates, with the supervision of the Ministry of Interior. The minister highlighted Bahrain's initiatives to accelerate the employment of citizens, the latest of which was the suite of programmes announced by the Ministry of Labour and the Labour Fund (Tamkeen). These programmes aim to support 50,000 Bahrainis and are fo unded on three main initiatives that include supporting new entrants in the labour market, creating job opportunities for them, enhancing career development, and increasing the support for private sector institutions. He affirmed that that the labour policies in the kingdom those pertaining to the integration of national competencies into the private sector would not have been achieved without the cooperation between all concerned governmental and non-governnment partners. Humaidan expressed his appreciation to employers for their support, and all workers who demonstrated diligence, competence and discipline at work. For his part, the BCCI Chairman hailed the efforts of HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister to boost the development of the working environment and uphold workers' gains and enhance cooperation between the three production parties. Nass affirmed that BCCI is keen in all its programmes on developing the skills and competence of Bahraini workers. Furthermore, Al Shehabi expressed his appreciatio n to HM the King for his patronage of this event as it represents HM's recognition of the role of workers in Bahrain. He hailed HM the King's royal decree pardoning inmates and HRH the Crown Pince and Prime Minister's directives to provide them with training programmes and job opportunities. The minister honoured the outstanding workers, who were chosen by the federation, in appreciation of their diligence and contributions to the kingdom's comprehensive development process. Source: Bahrain News Agency