Around 1,000 workers and 100 construction company staff went on strike yesterday (December 11) in Bahrain over alleged unpaid wages for the past seven months.

The electricians, mechanics, plumbers, labourers, masons, carpenters, engineers, foremen, technicians and managers say they will not return to work unless their demands are met.

The Al Hamad Construction Company workers claim they have been working on basic salaries between BD60 ($159) to BD300.

The workers, who live in a labour accommodation near Alba roundabout, started a march from the roundabout towards the main office in Gold City, Manama, but were stopped by police.

'They arrested seven people, but said they would release them after registering the case,' said a worker, who did not want to be named. 'Some of the workers managed to go to the main office by public transport, but were disappointed as the management didn't listen to their plight.”

'This is not the first time the company hasn't paid us. We filed a case at the Labour Ministry and the Indian Embassy in September. The officials promised they would sort the matter out and get back to us, but we are still waiting for a reply,” he added.

'Ministry officials said they would solve the problem mutually, but we didn't get a good response from them. We thought to sort the matter out through meetings, but we didn't get any response from the company or the ministry. We haven't got our wages for seven months and only we know how we are surviving.'

The worker said that they were being forced to take loans from friends and family to buy basic necessities that would be difficult to repay.

'Some of the workers are sick and many are without valid visas,' he said. 'Our families are suffering as we are unable to send any money to them. We came to Bahrain hoping to earn money to support our families, but if the company is not paying us, what are we supposed to do?'

Company officials were unavailable for comments yesterday. – TradeArabia News Service