Dubai: An Indian man who went to court in April 2014 over months of unpaid salaries is still waiting for his dues.
A frustrated Abdul Khadeer, 31, had back in April 2014 filed a labour dispute after quitting his job following as many as nine months of work without pay. He claimed his Dubai-based construction company owed him Dh91,164 then.
Wedding called off
While still locked in a court battle with his Arab employers, he even got engaged six months later in October 2014 only to call his wedding off the following May in absence of an outcome. However four months later in September 2015 and almost a year and a half after his case was first registered, Khadeer eventually got a verdict in his favour. The court ruled that he be paid by his employer an amount of Dh64,214 and all the legal expenses he incurred. Yet almost another year and a half on, Khadeer says he is still where he was at the start of his legal fight – almost broke and in debt.
“My only respite is that I have a job today after months of remaining unemployed. It pays me just enough to help me settle my debts portion by portion and cover my rent, but I am left with barely any money for myself at the end of every month,” says the electrical engineer from Hyderabad who earns Dh6,000 as project supervisor in a utility company in Ras Al Khaimah.
Khadeer finally got married last September but says he has got into further debts since. “Such is my situation that neither can I bring my wife here nor can I fly back home as I don’t have money to even buy an air ticket,” adds Khadeer who has only so far received just the one payment from his previous company - a cheque for Dh9,341 on February 28, five months after the court judgement against them. “I have approached the court many times till now for the remaining money but I am yet to get a proper response. I filed one more case against my employer so he is punished, but that procedure is still on as I continue to follow up every few weeks,” says Khadeer who estimates to have spent over Dh4,000 just in typing and other court costs while getting his fresh appeal registered.
“Unfortunately I can’t take the law in my hands and I don’t know what else to do, but I am on the verge of a total breakdown. It’s going to be three years since I began my fight for my own hard earned money but I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I wish someone could help me,” he says.
