India takes issue of non-payment of salary to Indian workers with Bahrain

The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) has said that the Indian Embassy in Bahrain has taken-up the issue of non-payment of salary to Indian workers at high level with the country and authorities there have expressed regret at the incident and have assured that safety and wellbeing of all workers, including Indian nationals, remains their first priority.

"M/s G. P. Zachariadis Overseas Ltd., a construction company which employs nearly 1500 Indian workers has been faced with severe financial hardship. This has resulted in non-payment of salary/dues to workers employed by the company. On 3rd January 2017, nearly 350 workers at a site went on strike due to non-payment of salary for nearly two months. After intervention of the Mission in association with the Labour Ministry, the company paid the pending salaries on 4th January 2017," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

He said the company again failed to pay the next salary, which was due on January 12, 2017 and the embassy had immediately taken up the matter with the Ministry of Labour, which had called the company management for a joint meeting on the same day.

Swarup said that nearly 200 workers of the company started a protest on January 15, due to non-payment of their salary and during the protest, one of the workers Narayanan Pitchai, an Indian national, fainted.

"He was taken to hospital, where he was declared brought dead," Swarup said.

Swarup said the police authorities have confirmed to the embassy that since it was a peaceful protest, no police action was taken against them.

"Several workers on protest have also conveyed to the embassy officials that no action was taken by police authorities on the protestors," he added.