About 140 construction workers, frustrated by non-payment of salaries for seven months, gathered at the Indian embassy yesterday seeking help for a solution to the dispute with their employers.

Shyamrao Murali, a spokesman for the workers, said outside the embassy, "We have come here to earn our bread so it is just that we should be paid our due wages." The workers come to the embassy in small batches. He said their intention was not to cause trouble.

Worker's representative Ful Mohammed held talks with embassy officials.

According to Murali, the company has at least five projects at hand, and some of the 400 employees were still working and getting paid. He said even they were not being paid their full salaries.

This was the second time the company's employees have come out in the street in a show of strength. Last year they staged a march to express their frustration and had even manhandled General Manager George Mathew at the company's premises.

Mathew said that it was workers' right to seek payment. "They are not wrong and the company owes them around 13,000 riyals," he said.

"Their rights are there, we will try and settle it as soon as we are in a position to do so," he said. Mathew stressed that the humanitarian consideration was the prime concern for the company at the moment. Workers too agreed and said their food and air-conditioning continued uninterrupted despite the dispute.

"Some of us have been given termination notice and release is given only if we agree to waive our dues," said Murali, adding that most workers were with the company for 10 to 15 years.

The workers contend that despite an agreement to pay, which was reached in presence of the labour department and embassy officials, the company is not honouring it.

"They have even sub-let some of the present contract workers to avoid paying them," alleged Murali. But, Mathew said that they were compelled to sub-let contracts by their clients.

Mathew promised that by the end of this month they would try to send 50 workers back with dues paid.

The Indian embassy has approached labour department officials to resolve the matter.
"They have been promising for seven months and the embassy is not doing enough to expedite the matter," alleged one worker.