How to File a Labour Complaint in Bahrain for Unpaid Indemnity or Wages

Which route you use in Bahrain depends on whether you still work for the company. The Ministry of Labour complaint service takes only workers who are still on the job with a valid work permit. Once you have left, you file a statement of claim with the Labour Case Administration Office at the Ministry of Justice. Watch the time limits: 30 days for a claim for compensation for termination, and one year from the end of the contract for other claims.

• Route 1, still employed: the Ministry of Labour complaint service.
• Route 2, job ended: the Labour Case Administration Office at the Ministry of Justice, which receives the statement of claim (Arts. 120-134).
• Optional settlement: the Ministry's Individual Labour Disputes Settlement Authority can try an amicable settlement, but only if both sides agree, and a signed settlement can be enforced (Art. 119).

Before either route, ask your employer for the amount in writing. The demand letter generator gives you a dated letter. Keep a copy.

Route 1: Ministry of Labour complaint service (still employed)

1. Bring your ID card, the employer's commercial registration (CR) number and your supporting documents.
2. File in person, by phone on 17873637 or 17873919, or online. The Ministry's hotline is 80008001.
3. The service takes 5 working days and charges no fee. You must be registered on the company with a valid work permit at the time you apply.

Route 2: Ministry of Justice and the court (after you leave)

1. Prepare a statement of claim with your documents and the amounts you say you are owed.
2. File it with the Labour Case Administration Office (Art. 121).
3. The judge has up to 2 months from filing to examine the case, extendable by 2 more, and then refers it to the High Civil Court, which gives its judgment within 30 days. Judgments are final apart from cassation (Arts. 120-134).

Work out your figure first with the Bahrain indemnity calculator.

• Compensation for termination: a claim by the worker is not heard if filed more than 30 days after the contract was terminated (Art. 135). A consensual referral to the Ministry's settlement authority pauses this period.
• Other claims under the contract, such as unpaid indemnity: not actionable after one year from the date the contract expired (Art. 136).

If you were dismissed, move within the 30 days, and do not wait for a reply to your letter before you file. For anything else, file well inside the year.

Workers pay no court costs for labour cases they start, unless the claim is dismissed, and no fees for their complaints or certificates (Art. 6). The Ministry complaint service is free.

• Your ID card.
• The employer's commercial registration (CR) number.
• Your employment contract and work permit details.
• Payslips or bank statements showing what you were paid.
• The notice or message that shows how and when the job ended.
• Your calculation of what is owed.

The court route does not depend on your employer agreeing. The judge examines the case and the High Civil Court rules. The optional settlement authority is the only step that needs both sides to consent.

Leaving indemnity under Art. 116 applies to workers who are not under the Social Insurance Law, and the text has no reduction for resigning. Read the complete Bahrain guide for how your amount is built. Compare your payment with the settlement checker.