A CONSTRUCTION company in Bahrain has been threatened with legal action if it fails to pay overdue salaries to around 350 staff.
It follows a protest by hundreds of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani employees of Orlando Construction Company yesterday.
They were marching in the scorching heat from their labour accommodation in Tubli to the Diplomatic Area when they were intercepted by police near American Mission Hospital, in Manama, at around 10am.
Labour officials are now in talks with company bosses to finalise a payment schedule, revealed Social Development Ministry Under-Secretary Sabah Al Doseri.
“We summoned the Indian partner in the company, which he runs along with a Bahraini, and an arrangement has been made to pay one month’s salary to all 350 staff immediately, which he agreed,” Mr Al Doseri told the GDN.
“He has been asked to come back on Tuesday to sign a deal with the ministry’s labour inspection department on his plan to pay the rest of the amount.
“He said he has financial issues, but that is no reason for not paying salaries.
“As we understand there are also around 100 people without jobs or visas waiting to be sent home, which he admitted.
“This is again unacceptable. If people don’t have jobs, they should be sent home immediately and it is the employer’s responsibility to find ways to settle their dues.
“We had a discussion in the presence of employee representatives and the Indian Embassy.
“We are monitoring the issue and we hope to resolve the crisis in the coming weeks.
“We will be stern with the company, as they have already been warned once in the past and will face legal action if they fail to keep their promise.”
The GDN reported in January that an investigation was launched into employees’ claims that the company had not paid them for three months.
A company representative denied the allegation at the time.
The men claimed yesterday that they had not been paid since January, adding they held protests at their accommodation throughout last week.
However, a lack of response from management prompted them to march to the court complex in the Diplomatic Area.
After being stopped by police the company arranged buses to transport most of them back to their accommodation, while a few staff representatives were taken to meet labour officials.
“We protested in January and a one-time payment was made then, but again the pattern continued,” said an Indian employee, who requested anonymity.
“We have not been paid since January and this is the fifth month running.
“We are struggling without money even to buy a bottle of water.
“We have been protesting in our camp in Tubli since last week and yesterday management called police.
“We had no other way to alert labour officials to our plight, so we decided to go to the Labour Court – which someone said was in the Diplomatic Area.
Settlements
“But we were stopped by police and they took some of us to talk to officials, while the others are being taken back to the camp.
“We are 350 people doing various jobs in construction and now around 100 of us are without visas or jobs, sitting idle in the camp.
“The management terminated them saying there was no work.
“In January they said they would send us home, but nothing has happened.
“We can’t go home without our settlements, as most of us have bank loans and debts to be repaid.”
Bangladesh Embassy labour consul Shaikh Tahidul Islam told the GDN diplomats were liaising with the company owner to ensure staff are paid soon.
“In the meantime, we are arranging social workers to make sure that the men receive basic necessities immediately,” he added.
Neither the company owner nor the Indian Embassy could be reached for comment.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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