AROUND 150 workers braved the sweltering heat as they took to the streets to protest unpaid wages.
One of the expatriates, who work for construction company G P Zachariades (GPZ), collapsed as they marched from their labour accommodation in Sitra towards the Labour and Social Development Ministry in Zayed Town yesterday.
However, they were stopped by policemen midway near Sanad for road safety reasons and due to rising temperatures that hit 46C yesterday.
The workers told the GDN that over 300 employees, who resigned a year ago, have not yet received their settlements or been released from the company to find alternative employment.
“We are protesting in this heat and one of our colleagues has collapsed,” said Pakistani national Tashkeel Ahmed.
“All of us are worried about him because he needs to be hospitalised.
“I have been waiting for several months now with no salary.”
His colleague, Mohammed Bilal, said that some of the settlements amounted to BD4,500 for years of service, but the company has offered them BD100 and a plane ticket to return home.
“We have families and we have problems,” said the Indian national.
“We are waiting for our settlements and our service money; some of us have worked for 10 years and others for more than 30 years.”
One of the Indian labourers, who wished to be known only as Sajjan, said they were fed up with their circumstances.
“We’ve been sitting in our rooms for months and the employer is not releasing us to find new jobs and they are not paying us either,” he said.
The GDN reported in April that a ministerial committee was formed to further negotiate non-payment issues with GPZ following a protest by around 50 former Bahraini employees who gathered outside the ministry.
Labour and Social Development Ministry Under-Secretary Sabah Al Doseri told the GDN yesterday that negotiations were still ongoing with the company with a result expected by the end of the month.
“We’ve been negotiating with the GPZ management for a long time,” he said.
“We’ve fixed the same issue for around 700 employees of GPZ previously and now the final batch of them is left and we’ll find a permanent solution for them in three weeks.
“I know their circumstances are really difficult but we are asking them for patience because the ministry’s top levels are working to find a permanent solution.”
“Hopefully in three weeks we will fix their situation and we will get their settlements and if they want to go home they can and if they want another job the ministry will provide assistance.
“We do not approve of anyone’s rights being violated in Bahrain and their issue is a human issue before it is a labour issue.”
The Indian Embassy also said that it has held several meetings with all parties involved to follow up the issue.
“We are in constant contact with the workers, the employer and the local authorities and we hope this issue will be solved,” said Indian Embassy community welfare and labour second secretary Anand Trakash.
“We are aware that their families in India are facing hardships and we have held several meetings with local authorities and the company.”
GPZ officials did not respond to the GDN yesterday.
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