Half a life time of toil, and all that's left is charity
Summary
Date Reported: 14 May 2020
Location: Bahrain
Companies
M&I Construction Co. - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 20
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 20 - Location unknown , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: None reported. Migrant Rights highlighted that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic may be a danger that cases such as this "fall through the cracks" as businesses face huge economic losses and migrants' chances of achieving justice decrease. In M&I Construction's response to the Resource Centre, the company stated that they had made efforts to resolve a worker strike with 18 workers through the Migrant Workers Protection Society. They cancelled work visas and returned passports while the workers stayed in the company accommodation. The company is currently facing 18 legal cases from former employees for unpaid wages.
Source type: NGO
GPZ had gradually lapsed on its obligations over several months. For the first five months they stopped paying wages, they provided workers with food. Then they provided only a monthly BD20 food allowance... before abandoning the workers...
[Their] plight... is not unique. Non-payment of wages is a growing problem in Bahrain... 180 workers from Orlando Construction Company... have not been paid for several months, twenty workers from M&I company... have not been paid for seven months... 250 workers from Bahrain Motor Company who haven’t been paid for five months.
All of these cases are pre-Covid19, but the fallout of the pandemic has aggravated their situation... There is a danger that these cases will fall through the cracks as governments scurry to help local businesses at the expense of migrants workers.The crisis has shattered the remnants of any hope workers had to recover their dues as businesses face huge losses.