45 Indian workers sentenced for unauthorised labour strike

Dubai: A Dubai court sentenced 45 Indian construction workers to six months in jail followed by deportation for violent protests demanding salary raises, a senior court official said.

The Court of Misdemeanour found the workers guilty of endangering public security, damaging properties and inciting other workers to strike against their employers seeking pay rise.

"This is a first-of-a-kind ruling. There are legal channels and legitimate methods for workers, who deem they are underpaid, to claim their rights instead of rioting violently and unlawfully. Workers should resort to the concerned authorities [Labour Ministry or Labour Court] to claim their rights ... and not through violent rioting," Judge Jasem Baqer, Head of Dubai Criminal Court, told Gulf News.

Court records showed some of the accused confessed to orchestrating the violence and inciting others to riot by distributing and posting pamphlets at labour accommodations.