Bahrain state broadcast staff in pay protest

Some 150 staff of Bahrain's state-run television and radio staged a sit-in on Tuesday to demand pay increases and a halt to cuts in overtime payments.

The protesters, who rallied for two hours at the information ministry compound in Issa Town, south of the capital Manama, "are demanding a halt to all measures related to overtime, the reshuffling of jobs and compensation until a new organisational structure is approved," an organiser told AFP.

"The employees are also demanding a wage hike and the payment of compensation for certain jobs as well as for their recalling (from holiday). They also want to discuss overtime and regular working hours," he said.

The protesters have been angered by measures introduced by the new head of state radio and television, Ahmad Najm, who has imposed limits on overtime hours and moved some employees from their jobs.

"We notified the (information) ministry undersecretary and the executive president of the radio and television authority during the sit-in that we expect a response to our demands next week, and that if a response is not forthcoming or is negative, we will stage another sit-in," the protest organiser said.

In remarks published by the Al-Waqt newspaper on Tuesday, Najm defended the measures, saying he had not taken charge in order to "deprive people of their livelihoods" but in order to reorganise the state broadcast authority, which he said had suffered from "mismanagement."