Thousands of workers at a major Bahrain construction company staged a wildcat strike over pay, claiming they had not been paid salaries ranging from BD60 ($160) to BD90 ($240) for two months.

More than 5,000 workers at Al Hamad Construction and Development Company also accused the company yesterday (June 10) of delaying repatriation of the bodies of their colleagues, claiming that the body of one had still not been flown home to his family a week after his death.

Indian Gulab Singh was crushed last Thursday when his transport vehicle collided with a truck.

Workers from the company's six labour camps were due to report to work at 6am yesterday, but refused to board buses that arrived to pick them up, according to their spokesman.

'Since February, the company has been delaying our salaries by a month and now owes us two months' wages,' he said, asking to remain anonymous. 'We will not return to work unless we are paid the amount in full.

'During the day, officials threatened to get a few of us arrested if we did not return to work immediately, but no-one was ready to give up the fight,” he added.

'Later, they promised to give us one month's salary in a day and the remaining within 15 days. But we do not believe them because the company got us to resume work when we went on strike more than a year ago for the same reason, but did not keep its word.

'We then had to go on strike again after a few days. They need to pay us first and then we will work.'

One worker claimed his colleagues feared their bodies could be kept in Bahrain indefinitely if they died on the job.

'Singh's body is still being kept at the mortuary,” he said. “They say they are working on it, but nothing seems to be happening.”

'We know that this is going to be the fate of all of us. The company needs to begin caring for its workers' welfare,” he added.

However, a company official said that it had deposited the salaries in their bank accounts by yesterday (June 10) morning.

'After we came to know of the strike we deposited the money, but they refuse to check,' he said. 'We are working out a negotiation, but they don't seem to listen to us.'

Labour Ministry officials said they were aware of the strike and working with the parties to reach a solution.

More than 750 workers from the Sitra camp staged two strikes in four days in August 2006 for better living conditions.

About 2,200 staged another strike for pay rises in April last year. – TradeArabia News Service