1,000 workers still unpaid
By begena george
Published: 27 August 2006
THE case for unpaid wages and settlement dues of more than 1,000 Indian workers of a clothing factory that closed down over a year ago is yet to be resolved.
Around 1,400 workers, including 250 Bahraini women, lost their jobs with the financial collapse of the Light Style Garment Factory, in Salmabad, on May 14 last year.
Indian workers say they are still waiting for their dues of around BD1,000 each from the company as promised 15 months ago.
They were also promised work permits for new jobs at different firms and 500 permits were said to had been issued a month after the closure.
1,000 workers still unpaid
By begena george
Published: 27 August 2006
THE case for unpaid wages and settlement dues of more than 1,000 Indian workers of a clothing factory that closed down over a year ago is yet to be resolved.
Around 1,400 workers, including 250 Bahraini women, lost their jobs with the financial collapse of the Light Style Garment Factory, in Salmabad, on May 14 last year.
Indian workers say they are still waiting for their dues of around BD1,000 each from the company as promised 15 months ago.
They were also promised work permits for new jobs at different firms and 500 permits were said to had been issued a month after the closure.
However, the employees claim that only around 350 workers had actually received the permits.
The workers’ spokesman Tommy Joseph said they feared their case would not be valid since it has been more than a year since the company shut down.
“From the nearly the 1,050 Indian workers of the factory, around 750 of them are still here working in various odd jobs,” said Mr Joseph.
“The rest of them left to India and they too are included in the compensations claim.
“We are not sure if a case has been filed at the Labour Ministry for our unpaid dues from the garment factory because we were told then that the Indian Embassy would do it for us.
“We had arranged to file a case then, but we were told not to until we discussed the matter with the embassy.
“But when I went to the ministry in May this year with an embassy official, I was told that no case had been filed against the company.
“Also, all the machinery from the company has been sold and I was one of the workers who saw them being taken away at night.”
Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty said a case was registered with the ministry last year and that it had been referred to the Justice Ministry.
He said that the first meeting with the Justice Ministry about the issue took place on December 13 last year.
“A case was filed to the Labour Ministry last year and they transferred the case under a group labour dispute to the Justice Ministry,” said Mr Shetty.
“The delay is attributed to the legal procedures involving such a huge number of people and also since the court is on vacation.
“But as soon as the courts open by the beginning of next month, the case will proceed.
“I mentioned the matter to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa during a meeting at the beginning of the month and he promised swift resolution.”
© Gulf Daily News