diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
index db90724444..7826541a64 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/event.py
@@ -68,16 +68,15 @@ _catchall_handlers = {}
 _eventfilter = None
 _uiready = False
 _thread_lock = threading.Lock()
-_thread_lock_enabled = False
 _heartbeat_enabled = False
 
 def enable_threadlock():
-    global _thread_lock_enabled
-    _thread_lock_enabled = True
+    # Always needed now
+    return
 
 def disable_threadlock():
-    global _thread_lock_enabled
-    _thread_lock_enabled = False
+    # Always needed now
+    return
 
 def enable_heartbeat():
     global _heartbeat_enabled
@@ -179,36 +178,30 @@ def print_ui_queue():
 
 def fire_ui_handlers(event, d):
     global _thread_lock
-    global _thread_lock_enabled
 
     if not _uiready:
         # No UI handlers registered yet, queue up the messages
         ui_queue.append(event)
         return
 
-    if _thread_lock_enabled:
-        _thread_lock.acquire()
-
-    errors = []
-    for h in _ui_handlers:
-        #print "Sending event %s" % event
-        try:
-             if not _ui_logfilters[h].filter(event):
-                 continue
-             # We use pickle here since it better handles object instances
-             # which xmlrpc's marshaller does not. Events *must* be serializable
-             # by pickle.
-             if hasattr(_ui_handlers[h].event, "sendpickle"):
-                _ui_handlers[h].event.sendpickle((pickle.dumps(event)))
-             else:
-                _ui_handlers[h].event.send(event)
-        except:
-            errors.append(h)
-    for h in errors:
-        del _ui_handlers[h]
-
-    if _thread_lock_enabled:
-        _thread_lock.release()
+    with _thread_lock:
+        errors = []
+        for h in _ui_handlers:
+            #print "Sending event %s" % event
+            try:
+                 if not _ui_logfilters[h].filter(event):
+                     continue
+                 # We use pickle here since it better handles object instances
+                 # which xmlrpc's marshaller does not. Events *must* be serializable
+                 # by pickle.
+                 if hasattr(_ui_handlers[h].event, "sendpickle"):
+                    _ui_handlers[h].event.sendpickle((pickle.dumps(event)))
+                 else:
+                    _ui_handlers[h].event.send(event)
+            except:
+                errors.append(h)
+        for h in errors:
+            del _ui_handlers[h]
 
 def fire(event, d):
     """Fire off an Event"""
@@ -322,21 +315,23 @@ def set_eventfilter(func):
     _eventfilter = func
 
 def register_UIHhandler(handler, mainui=False):
-    bb.event._ui_handler_seq = bb.event._ui_handler_seq + 1
-    _ui_handlers[_ui_handler_seq] = handler
-    level, debug_domains = bb.msg.constructLogOptions()
-    _ui_logfilters[_ui_handler_seq] = UIEventFilter(level, debug_domains)
-    if mainui:
-        global _uiready
-        _uiready = _ui_handler_seq
-    return _ui_handler_seq
+    with _thread_lock:
+        bb.event._ui_handler_seq = bb.event._ui_handler_seq + 1
+        _ui_handlers[_ui_handler_seq] = handler
+        level, debug_domains = bb.msg.constructLogOptions()
+        _ui_logfilters[_ui_handler_seq] = UIEventFilter(level, debug_domains)
+        if mainui:
+            global _uiready
+            _uiready = _ui_handler_seq
+        return _ui_handler_seq
 
 def unregister_UIHhandler(handlerNum, mainui=False):
     if mainui:
         global _uiready
         _uiready = False
-    if handlerNum in _ui_handlers:
-        del _ui_handlers[handlerNum]
+    with _thread_lock:
+        if handlerNum in _ui_handlers:
+            del _ui_handlers[handlerNum]
     return
 
 def get_uihandler():
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/event.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/event.py
index 4de4cced5e..d959f2d95d 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/event.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/tests/event.py
@@ -451,10 +451,9 @@ class EventHandlingTest(unittest.TestCase):
             and disable threadlocks tests """
         bb.event.fire(bb.event.OperationStarted(), None)
 
-    def test_enable_threadlock(self):
+    def test_event_threadlock(self):
         """ Test enable_threadlock method """
         self._set_threadlock_test_mockups()
-        bb.event.enable_threadlock()
         self._set_and_run_threadlock_test_workers()
         # Calls to UI handlers should be in order as all the registered
         # handlers for the event coming from the first worker should be
@@ -462,20 +461,6 @@ class EventHandlingTest(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(self._threadlock_test_calls,
                          ["w1_ui1", "w1_ui2", "w2_ui1", "w2_ui2"])
 
-
-    def test_disable_threadlock(self):
-        """ Test disable_threadlock method """
-        self._set_threadlock_test_mockups()
-        bb.event.disable_threadlock()
-        self._set_and_run_threadlock_test_workers()
-        # Calls to UI handlers should be intertwined together. Thanks to the
-        # delay in the registered handlers for the event coming from the first
-        # worker, the event coming from the second worker starts being
-        # processed before finishing handling the first worker event.
-        self.assertEqual(self._threadlock_test_calls,
-                         ["w1_ui1", "w2_ui1", "w1_ui2", "w2_ui2"])
-
-
 class EventClassesTest(unittest.TestCase):
     """ Event classes test class """