Dubai: The Ministry of Labour is liquidating a bank guarantee which was deposited by a company in order to pay the delayed salaries of more than 1,500 workers.
The workers who gathered yesterday at the Ministry of Labour in Dubai demanding their salaries that had gone unpaid for the past six months will receive their money from the bank guarantee that was deposited by the company.
A spokesman for the Atlantis Emirates Group said the delayed salaries of the workers amounted to Dh4.5 million.
"The ministry liquidated the workers' bank guarantee on March 15 and they will pay the workers soon in order to send them back to their home countries," he said.
He said the ministry already paid 110 workers and they have left for their home countries.
He said the ministry will pay workers in batches of 50 and send them to their countries.
"We are [a] good company and we have no problems and we do not want to delay the payment, but we are doing many projects as subcontractors and the main companies are not paying us," he said.
He said his company opened bank accounts for the workers but their salaries are not paid through the bank.
"If we are not paid for our projects how we will pay the workers?" he said.
He said the chairman of the company is following up the issue with the Ministry of Labour.
"The ministry told us that liquidating the bank guarantee takes long processes," he said.
According to officials of the Ministry of Labour, the workers will be paid and sent back to their home countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The official said the workers wanted to go home.
