Union leader seeks quick remedy for salary issues of 200 expat workers

Workers having to protest in order to receive their salaries is a regrettable state of affairs, said General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) General Secretary Hasan Alhalwachi responding to Monday’s protest when 200 labourers of a contracting company held a march to protest non-payment of their salaries. He said it is really bad that the helpless workers were forced to take such measures during Ramadan when many of them were fasting.

“We believe that those 200 workers are some of the many hundreds that have been deprived of income for months. Migrant workers come here to feed their families, who are waiting for their money back home.”

“We urge the Ministry of Labour and all concerned authorities to make all employers accountable before the rules and regulations of the labour law which is very clear and precise as far as payment of salaries is concerned.

GFBTU reminds that Bahrain is a member state of international labour conventions related to fundamental rights at work and have to make all employers respect those rights, in particular the right of salary payment on time,” he said. About 200 workers took part in the march on Monday to protest against the company. According to him, the workers initially planned to walk to LMRA building in Sanabis but lost their way. “They were walking to LMRA but they didn’t know the exact road and lost their way, and reached near American mission hospital where they were stopped by police,” he said. Ministry of Labour officials have met with the workers as well as the management of the company and are confident of solving the issue. A ministry official told Tribune that the company is cooperating with the Ministry and has agreed to pay all pending salaries.