Abu Dhabi: Workers of an interior decoration company in Abu Dhabi have been sleeping rough for the past two weeks following a labour dispute with their employer.
The ten workers who hail from Pakistan claimed they were thrown out of their company accommodation in Mussafah and are suffering without food or water.
“We are facing an ordeal. We have no place to live and have not got our salaries for months,” said Tanveer Suhail.
Fear of arrest
Another worker who gave his name as Mohammad Naveed said they are afraid of being arrested for sleeping on the roadside.
“People mistake us for beggars. We do not know where to go. Some of us don’t even have valid visas,” said Naveed.
According to these men, their company in Najda Street ran into trouble following a change of management.
“Our new employer treated us badly and refused to our pay salaries,” said Suhail who claimed he hasn’t been paid for six months.
Some workers said they haven’t been paid for eight months. The men who are carpenters, curtain fixers and technicians earn Dh1,000 to Dh2,200 a month.
“We have filed a case with the labour court. Six of us are without valid visas as our employer has not renewed them,” said another worker.
The workers said they are in dire straits and have not sent money to their families in Pakistan for months.
“I have not been able to send a penny to my family in the last few months. I don’t know how they are managing,” said one worker who did not wish to be named.
When XPRESS contacted the company owner, he rubbished the workers’ claims.
“I don’t owe them any dues. They are making false allegations,” he said, adding he is ready to transfer their visas to a new employer if they wish to take up new jobs elsewhere.
