In 2020, the Bahrain Shura council unanimously voted against a proposed amendment to labour law that would guarantee employers paid wages on time and in full. Delayed or non-payment of wages to migrant workers by companiesis a common labour abuse in the country.

The decree follow the establishment of a legal framework establishing a Wage Protection System to ensure workers' wages are paid in full. It mandates employers may wages via bank transfer and the government be made aware of any delayed or non-payment of wages. The roll-out of the WPS system has been delayed from an initial launch plan in January 2018.

The existence of this decree was used to justify the rejection of the proposed amendment. NGO Migrant Rights, however, reported that the decree lacked implementation and procedural measures. They point to the wording of the proposed amendment as evidence that it is more fit for purpose than the decree; by contrast, the amendment "explicitly states that employers are only legally discharged from their obligation for payment only after they complete transferal of all due wages to their employees’ [bank] account".