Media reports dated 17 March 2011 indicated that, along with the Minister of Health, Al Alawi resigned from the Bahraini Cabinet in the wake of the government crackdown on protests in Bahrain.
The blueprint for the reforms was laid out in a 2004 landmark report by the global management consultancy firm, McKinsey and Company, and the implementation process has seen the Ministry of Labour working closely with the International Labour Organization, the United States Department of Labor,[7] local newly established trade unions and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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".
The General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions held its founding congress in January 2004 and in December became the first organisation in the [Persian] Gulf states to become a member of the ICFTU.
A national minimum wage was a key pillar of Al Wefaq's election manifesto in 2006 parliamentary poll, and was supported by a number of other candidates.
Al Wefaq initially backed the government's redrafted legislation, but opposition from its followers and religious scholars forced a rethink.
While the government indicated its determination to introduce the new tax, it did agree to Al Wefaq's demand for a 15% increase in public sector wages.
[15] Expressing his frustration at the opposition, Al Alawi said "A country is not run through religious fatwas [edicts] and the government cannot of course consult every citizen.
[17] Speaking at the symposium at the majlis of Al Wefaq opposition MP, Jalal Fairooz, the Ministry of Labour's undersecretary, Jameel Humaidan, announced that around 16,000 Bahraini private sector employees have reportedly benefited.
[21] As well as hundreds of thousands of foreign workers living in Bahrain, Al Alawi has said that the government is facing a problem finding skilled workers to fill positions: “There are 6,700 vacancies in various ministries and more will be created in the future.”[22] Speaking in October 2007 about the Ministry's efforts to tackle unemployment, Al Alawi said: Since 2001, Bahrain started to discuss policies aimed at reducing unemployment among its citizens.
The Ministry of Labour introduced a ban on working outdoors in the midday heat during summer time when temperatures can reach 50 C. In a press statement Dr Majeed Al Alawi attributed the move to a "genuine keenness to protect the rights of immigrant workers, particularly those in menial jobs.
"[23] In 2007 prosecutors filed charges against 160 construction companies for flouting the summer ban on labourers working outdoors during the hottest part of the day.
As part of the initiative, Al Alawi took the campaign to Indian expatriate community groups in the Kingdom to urging their involvement in protecting workers from exploitative employers.
The aim of the festivities held at the Bahrain Conference Centre was to inform workers of their rights and get them to participate in the amnesty so that they can legalise their status.
Under global conventions Persian Gulf states will inevitably sign in the near future, expatriate workers and their families will be entitled to housing, education and health services, as well as nationality after five years of residence.
"[4] Al Alawi's solution is for a Persian Gulf wide six-year residency cap for un-skilled and semi-skilled foreign labour, but this has met a storm of criticism from business leaders and immigrants groups.
Al Alawi was blunt in his response "Those who have opposed the proposal are business people who prefer the protection of their company interests over the defence of their nation.
"[29] Reaction has not been limited to Bahrain: Gulf business leaders have gone public in criticising Al Alawi's call for restrictions on foreign labour.