UK unions condemn sacking of workers in Bahrain

British trade unions are accusing the authorities in Bahrain of intensifying the repression of the country's workers with further suspensions and sackings. “Despite growing international pressure, the Bahraini authorities have stepped up the repression, sacking more than 100 government employees in recent weeks,” the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said. “In total, more than 2,600, workers have been sacked since the pro-democracy uprising earlier this year,” the TUC said in a statement. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has accused the Bahraini regime of having “largely failed to reinstate workers illegally dismissed” despite numerous promises to the contrary. According to the General Federation of Bahraini Trade Unions (GFBTU), only 134 workers have been reinstated to date. “Many of these workers had to agree to unacceptable, indeed illegal, conditions in order to get their jobs back,” the TUC said. These included being forced to agree “not to take part in any future political activity, waiving the right to participate in legal cases against the government and agreeing not to re-join their trade union.” British unions are already supporting an international appeal by Education International and Amnesty International to secure the release of two leaders of the Bahrain Teachers' Association (BTA). One of them, Jalila al Salman the Vice President of the BTA has been released on bail over the weekend, but she is still due to face trial before a military tribunal.