Chinese workers camp out on street in protest

Dubai: Some 130 Chinese workers have been camping on the street at the Ministry of Labour in Dubai since Sunday morning after rejecting a settlement suggested by senior officials.

It is the fourth protest in a week by workers of the Dubai-based company, Beijing Uni-Construction Group Company (BUCC).

Most of the protesting workers have been in the country for less than a year and claim that the company has not met the conditions stated in the contract.

Abdullah Bin Sulooum, Head of the Investigation Unit at the Ministry of Labour and member of the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs in Dubai (PCLAD), said the workers have been staying outside the ministry since Sunday morning and have refused to leave although there was no valid reason for their protest.

Illegitimate

"The workers' claims are illegitimate, especially since the company management agreed to pay them Dh230 per month for a year as a sort of compensation for the money they paid back home," said Bin Sulooum.

However, the workers said the settlement was unfair and demanded the entire recruitment fees they paid in China.

"We want to go back home, but only after we receive our money. We will not leave this place before this happens," said a worker.

But Bin Suloom said: "We will not change the settlement and if the workers want to leave we will cancel their visas but it is not our job to remove them from the street and the concerned bodies are aware of the situation."

Zhang Wenxim, BUCC manager, said that they did a few adjustments to the labour contract to satisfy the labourers but still some of the workers refused to resume.

Left to authorities

"Matters are left for the police and the Ministry of Labour. If the workers want to go back to China then let them go," he said.

"The final agreement is fair," Gao Youzhen, Chin-ese Consul-General, told Gulf News.

"The Chinese workers should abide by the country's laws and traditions. And we hope a mutual agreement will be reached soon," said Youzhen.