EMPLOYEES of a company that has allegedly not paid its staff for months fear they could be deported before they get their salaries.
It follows allegations that some had already been detained and sent home because they were picked up without legal residency documents.
Most expat staff of the company, G P Zachariades (GPZ) Civil Engineering and Contractors, say their work visas have not been renewed.
Fight
However, they remain in the country to fight for outstanding wages dating back several months.
The GDN has reported on several protests by former and current employees of the company, dating back to 2017.
GPZ has repeatedly blamed late salaries on delays in receiving payment for work it carried out.
“I drive around in fear because at any (police) checkpoint I could be arrested for want of legal residency,” one employee told the GDN on condition of anonymity.
“We have not been paid for almost nine months and we heard the senior manager of the company has left the country.
“It is all so uncertain. We are surprised that no government entity is intervening seriously as this involves the lives of hundreds of workers and their families.”
Staff claim those without visas include labourers confined to accommodation in Nuwaidrat, waiting to return home, as well as senior employees working on major government projects – all of them allegedly unpaid.
“We are hearing of (GPZ) employees being arrested for lack of legal residency,” Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) chairwoman Marietta Dias told the GDN.
“We agree that this is the job of the Interior Ministry (to arrest illegal residents), but don’t these (GPZ) employees deserve some consideration?
“They are not illegal by choice, it is the company that is at fault.
“I understand men are being arrested and deported with just air tickets.
“How fair is this when they are owed salaries?
“Why are embassies not taking up the matter seriously?
“I know the limitations of the ministries involved, but I think there should be a solution to this situation where these men are not put at risk of getting arrested.”
The GDN reported last week that 11 employees were arrested for allegedly blocking a major highway during a protest over non-payment of wages in Nuwaidrat.
Ms Dias said the MWPS was previously providing GPZ staff with food and other supplies, but was asked to stop so the company could take on the responsibility.
“We used to take care of around 3,000 (GPZ) employees in the first two years by giving them dry rations and other necessary items,” she said. “But we were told by a senior Labour (and Social Development) Ministry official that the company had asked us to stop doing so and said it (the company) would take care of its employees.
“Unfortunately, it is not and we are getting calls from men seeking support. We know they are starving and so are their families back home.”
One employee said staff now feared leaving the company accommodation because of the risk of arrest.
“It has been months since I went to Manama and the cold store nearby is overcharging us, so we stopped buying (from there),” he said on condition of anonymity.
“Earlier some social workers came and gave us food, but that too has stopped.”
A Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) spokeswoman suggested staff could seek employment with another company in Bahrain to legalise their stay while they await pending wages.
“The LMRA could facilitate their transfer to other employers if there’s an application for the same on the grounds of the employer not fulfilling their legal duty to maintain a valid work permit for them,” she said. “If an employer is willing to take them on, they should come forward.”
GPZ officials could not be reached for comment.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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