Authorities have blacklisted a hotel in Manama after reportedly failing to pay its staff for more than eight months.
Around 20 expatriate employees of the four-star hotel located in Hoora, who have allegedly not been paid since May last year, have registered complaints with the police and the Labour and Social Development Ministry.
An informed source within the ministry told the GDN yesterday that the hotel management has ignored repeated summons since the complaint was filed last month.
He added that representatives of the management also failed to show up for at least three scheduled meetings with labour officials, resulting in the ministry issuing an order to blacklist the hotel.
Under Bahrain’s law, blacklisted companies will not be able to recruit new employees, renew staff visas or sign agreements with subcontractors.
“The management was given many chances to settle the dues and they did not come for the meetings that were scheduled to discuss the situation, based on the employees’ complaints,” said the informed source.
“The ministry has blacklisted the hotel and will now assist the men to fight their case in the courts.”
The employees from different nationalities – including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Egyptian and one Kenyan – staged a strike last week following which labour inspectors interfered.
One of them told the GDN on condition of anonymity that each of them are owed between BD2,500 and BD3,000 as pending salaries for the last eight months.
“We were promised a number of times that we will be paid soon and it never happened,” he said,
“Last Thursday from our 8pm shift onwards we did not go to work.
“An inspector from the ministry said they called the owners and managers for meetings the following Sunday and so we went back to work.
“However, we learned that they did not attend the meeting and the ministry has now blacklisted the hotel.”
He added that the expat employees have faced a number of problems including having power cut at their accommodation and not being able to support their families back home.
“We have been patient, despite being unable to send money to our families back home,” he said.
“Electricity was disconnected in our accommodation in Hoora, near the hotel, and then we were asked to stay in the hotel.
“We get our food at the hotel so that is also taken care of, and hence we were waiting, and hoping, that we will be paid because business is still good, especially during weekends.
“Now we are waiting for the court to help us, we will not protest again as everything now has taken a legal course and we trust the judiciary.”
The hotel management could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The GDN reported in 2017 that the Bahrain government blacklisted at least four major firms that year over non-payment of wages.
However, the ministry did not name the firms, which included two construction companies, a hospital and a heavy equipment supplier.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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