Kin of dead Gulf Indians still unpaid by firm

Relatives of the Indians killed in blaze in Bahrain have not been paid any compensation by their employer, says a media report.

Relatives of 16 Indians killed in a July 30 blaze in Bahrain have not been paid any compensation by the Bahraini employer, says a media report. Neither have other Indians affected by the fire been paid.

HT Image

The Indians who lost their lives in the blaze at the Gudaibiya labour camp have not been paid by the Royal Tower Construction company (RTC), Gulf Daily News reported.

Indian survivors of the blaze had launched a protest against the poor working conditions. They have not been paid by the firm for the 15 days during which they had staged a protest, even after an amicable settlement had been reached between the two parties.

Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Balkrishna Shetty took up the matter at a meeting with Bahraini Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi on Tuesday, the newspaper said.

The labour ministry will soon set up a working group to tackle outstanding issues with Royal Tower Construction (RTC). "The minister agreed to set up a working group to study the whole situation," Shetty said.

Last month, after the devastating fire, some 200 Indian workers of RTC went on a strike, demanding proper compensation and overall improvement of their working conditions.

The Indian workers resumed normal work only after the Bahraini labour ministry brokered a deal between them and the company, which included among other things immediate settlement of all dues.

John Iype, Coordination Committee of Indian Associations (CCIA) general secretary who was involved in negotiations for the RTC workers with the labour ministry and the company, said the employer had failed to honour the commitment to the workers.

"The company has not yet given any compensation to the families of 16 workers who were killed in the tragedy," he added.