Labour Supply Company Workers Agitated Over Death of Colleague

By V.M.Sathish

Company's refusal to pay advance of Dhs.20 provokes worker to commit suicide

DUBAI -December 11, 2004 More than 300 workers of a labour supply company are sad and anguish about the poor working conditions highlighted by the death of a colleague apparently due to suicide provoked by the nonpayment of salary. According to the agitated workers, A Venkatesh, an electrician who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was suffering from financial difficulties caused by the delay in getting wages for five months. According to workers, two days back on November 9th, Venkatesh who was reportedly suffering from headache was found dead hanging from the ceiling fan of Room No 6 in the company's labour accommodation building located near Jafilia, Satwa. When contacted, Charles, a company staff said he is not aware of the death and not all workers are striking. "We have about 400 workers and not all of them are striking work," he said. A section of workers said they have no problem with the company and payment delay is not a big issue for them. Even though the company spokesman promised to return the call, this correspondent did not receive any statements. The group has three companies and one recruitment firm was closed down due to labour problems.

According to a letter in Tamil believed to be written by the deceased, he was mentally depressed because the company, Keith International Group refused to give him even Dhs.50 buy tablets to cure headache and he was unable to repay huge amount of loan taken to buy a visa to reach Dubai. The letter, a copy of which is available with KM, is addressed to the Bur Dubai police station alleging that despite repeated reminders and request, the company did not give him an advance of even Dhs.50 for treatment. The six page letter dated December 6 said that he came to Dubai about 11 months back after paying an amount equivalent to Indian Rs.90,000 for a visa to work as electrician and named two agents in India who have taken money. However, he had to work as a helper and did not get payment regularly. He had earlier complained about non-payment of salary. A police officer on duty, overseeing the area in front of the labour camp, said the police removed the dead body. In this letter, he has requested other workers to help his family and recover the money from the visa agent. "Even after spending lot of money to study and to get a visa, the company refused to give an advance of Dhs.50

Quoting from the letter, his colleagues said Venkatesh could send home only Rs.30,000 to repay the loan, taken by pledging his small farm and gold ornaments of his mother and sisters. The company workers have refused to work before solving their problems including paying pending four month's salary and compensation to the deceased worker, the main bread earner of the family consisting of a brother, two sisters and parents. About half of the company workers are on visit visa and many of them have no labour card or health cards. This is not the first time that the company workers are striking work for delayed payment, they added. "Many of us have to pay for the food are facing a difficult situation," they said.

Revealing the poor working conditions in the labour supply companies which allegedly exploit the expatriate workers, the agitated workers said some of them who raised the issue of delayed payment or lack of facilities have been either physically assaulted or send back to India. A few months back, some workers approached the law enforcement authorities with written complaints against the company for non-payment of salary and the owner agreed to pay in two installments. However, the company could not fulfil this commitment made to the concerned authorities, they said. "the company Public Relations Officer agreed to pay the pending salary on November 11 and second installment on November 25, 2004. He used to get Dhs.4 per hour as salary where as the company gets a bigger amount from big companies doing subcontracting work.

The deceased worker was depressed because his family had to pay Rs.3,000 per month as interest payment to the loan taken to give the visa agent. Many workers who nearly Rs.1 lakh for the visa said they do not have health cards, visa or labour camps. Those who have visa don't have labour cards. Manay of them said their medical test is yet to be conducted several months after reaching Dubai. According to rules, medical test is compulsory pre condition for workers. Many workers showed the photocopy of visit visas as the only document given by the company. "Venkatesh was a very good person and he used to come to the room only to sleep. He shared the room with us but never told us about his family problems," said one of his friends. He was alone in the room, when others went to work. Apparently he was sitting idle for some days because the company did not give him work for raising the problem with the authorities.

"He took 50 fils from me to post a letter to his family in Tamil Nadu. He was suffering from headache and the company was not giving him even 20 Dhs to buy medicines. Most of us don't have any medical facility and each worker is given just one bucket of water daily for taking bath and other purposes. Before dying he had send a copy of the letter to his family and to the police," said his friends. Copy of the letter was found in his room, when other friends returned home after work. His death should be an eye opener to the concerned authorities regarding the poor working conditions and growing visa racket. . Trading in visa and the mushrooming number of labour supply companies are two interlinked reasons, which should be controlled.

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