Workers leave after receiving wages

GDN: A TOTAL of 106 workers, who were demanding unpaid wages, have left Bahrain after receiving a settlement from a construction company. Nearly 200 workers claimed they had not received their wages for the past three months.

Al Hamad Contracting Company human resources manager Jameel Al Qahery confirmed yesterday the workers who didn't want to continue working for them had resigned and returned home after getting their dues.

"We need to clarify that there were only 196 workers who demonstrated and not 250 as previously reported," said Mr Al Qahery.

"We met them and sorted the matter. Out of these, 106 resigned saying they no longer wish to work for us and we agreed," he added.

"They submitted their resignations and we took immediate action to send them back.
"We also paid their pending wages until the end of May, as they were owed two months salary only.

"They have already been sent home this week in three groups, so it was a mass repatriation from our company," Mr Al Qahery added.

He said the workers who decided to remain with the company after receiving their wages included labourers and engineers.

He said the company cared for its workers, but was unable to pay them because of the current market situation.
The GDN reported that the workers from Rajasthan, India, gathered near the company entrance last month.
They said they worked as masons and that they had not been contacted or visited by their employer.
The workers, who earned BD120 per month, said they were running out of food at their accommodation. The company dismissed the claim and said it provided them with food and sweet water.