[citation needed] The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions' Annual Survey 2005 highlighted: "Bahrain, a bright spot in an otherwise dismal landscape of persistent labour rights violations in the Middle East".
[3] According to the ICFTU: In October 2006, King Hamad signed a law banning the sacking of employees engaged in trade union activities.
Under an amended law, the courts must reinstate a sacked worker and award them compensation if it is proved that they were sanctioned for such activities.
[5] The King's move followed criticism by the ICTFU of the sacking in July 2005 of Gulf Air's trade union head shortly after his election.
However, this split was criticized by labour experts and trade unionists in the GFWTUB as a move to weaken the Bahraini labor movement, noting that several of the 12 unions representing workers at major companies in Bahrain have alleged ties to the Royal family.