Several Shura Council members were against a section in the new 198-article Private Sector Law, which would oblige employers to give employees a six-month notice to improve their performance before terminating their contracts.

The councillors maintained that it was a waste of time and money.

However, other council members believed that the new article allowed fair treatment of employees, which was backed by the Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi.

Dr Al Alawi said that the article was an important pillar in the law and that if it was scrapped, would harm a number of other articles.

"Competency is elastic and subjective and is very difficult for anyone to determine," said Dr Al Alawi.

"Yes, in some cases employees could be below standards, but that's not their fault, and it is mainly due to advancements in production methods and technologies.

"A month is a reasonable period and after that time if there are still no signs of improvement, the employer has the right, with proper assessment, to terminate the contract."

Meanwhile, Dr Al Alawi said that many Bahraini employees now preferred to join the private sector, with recent figures revealing that the workforce is around 85,000.

This is compared to around 33,000 Kuwaiti employees in the Kuwait private sector, where there is a larger population, he added.

"Bahraini private sector employees surpassed the government sector two years ago and more will be on their way if this law is passed," said the minister.

Dr Al Alawi said that due to the nature of the labour market in Bahrain and other Gulf countries, far fewer nationals were being employed.

The council yesterday also approved a recommendation by the services committee on new rules regulating sick leave.

They would be granted within a year for up to 15 days with pay, 20 additional days with half pay and 20 more days without pay.

The sick leave could be extended by up to 182 days when the 55 days are over, if ordered by a medical commission.

Councillors also approved a recommendation that would grant teenage employees aged between 15 and 18 years and who are not under a professional contract, the right of 30 days of annual leave like their counterparts.