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The long running saga continues...

Kuwaiti legal firm offers to help Bangladeshi cleaners; ‘Integrity being sacrificed for profit’

KUWAIT CITY: The stranded Bangladeshi cleaners have a reason to smile after weeks of gloom, as a local firm has offered them free legal assistance in an effort to help them secure their rights, including unpaid wages for eight months. Hashem Majed, the Chairman of Al-Huqooq International Company, accompanied by a team of lawyers visited the workers’ accommodation on Sunday and gave a patient hearing to the grievances of the cleaners before donating them food supplies. Expressing shock and outrage over the despicable living conditions of the workers, Majed went on to explain that he would make all-out efforts to resolve the problems of the workers in a speedy manner and that he has instructed his lawyers to immediately initiate the legal proceedings. Some 1,300 Bangladeshis employed with a local cleaning company are on an indefinite strike to protest non-payment of wages, inhumane living conditions in addition to their expired residencies. According to the workers, they will not call off the strike unless all their demands are met.

Majed told the Arab Times that integrity is being sacrificed by some at the altar of profit and that the authorities should be held accountable for having let things come to such a pass. Berating the mistreatment of the workers, Majed noted: “I am deeply disturbed to see the horrible living conditions of the workers, and it is equally disturbing to see a few unscrupulous local companies tarnishing the image of the country. These workers are being treated as if they are cattle.” “While we often brag about the rapid progress Kuwait is making in various fields...here are people who have no access to clean drinking water and living in quarters that are not even fit for animal habitation. How can some people be so cold-hearted?” Majed asked. Majed observed that during his meeting with some of the workers on Sunday he asked them to list their priorities. “I was touched when the workers told me that their most pressing need was legal assistance. I asked them to explain to me the logic behind this idea, and they said that the legal assistance was a priority because they wanted to put an end to this long-standing dispute as soon as possible and wanted to return home.” Majed said he has no magic wand to solve the dispute and that he would coordinate efforts with various authorities to address the problems of the workers in the shortest time possible. Al-Huqooq has been at the forefront in safeguarding rights of workers and has provided legal and other assistance to many stranded workers of various nationalities.

Responded
It may be noted that the Arab Times readers have responded positively to the food pleas of the workers published in the newspaper, and have been providing them food aid since then. Reverend Andy Thompson on Saturday accompanied by some volunteers visited the accommodation of the workers and delivered second batch of food aid. When the Arab Times contacted Majed to seek pro bono legal help for the workers, he immediately agreed to the proposal. Majed went on to explain that the Ministry of Social Affairs should establish courts wherein labour disputes involving large group of workers can be resolved in a quick fashion. He added that when a case is filed at the Ministry of Social Affairs by workers it often takes as many as two months to get a hearing date. “During this period, if a worker is arrested at a checkpoint, then he faces deportation. In short, it is very essential that both the ministry of social affairs and the interior ministry coordinate on this issue in order to help people who may be victims,” he added. According to Majed, domestic workers in the country are better off as compared to those employed as cleaners in the private sector. “The domestic workers have a minimum wage of KD 40, in addition to free food and accommodation, not to mention free air passage every two years,” he added.

He said often many cleaning companies stipulate higher salary in the work contract in order to secure contracts from the government and that when the worker arrives in the country he is only paid between KD 20 and KD 25 instead of KD 50 or KD 60 stipulated in the contract. Majed observed that the ministry of social affairs should step up efforts in order to stop such malpractices and take strong action against errant firms to set a precedent. He also went on to explain that the ministry of social affairs and labour should regularly inspect accommodation of workers to ensure that it is habitable. Noting that low-income workers were often being blamed for surge in crimes by the authorities, he said that this segment of workers cannot be blamed because factors such as poor salaries, unpaid wages, among others were turning them into criminals.

“I, for one, blame the government for not addressing the problems faced by cleaning workers. If workers are paid decent salaries and in a timely manner, then the crime graph will obviously witness a decline. How can you expect someone to survive with a monthly income of as low as KD 20?. The government should take concrete measures to tackle this issue at the grass root level.” To a question as to how long it would take for the Labour Court to issue a verdict in this particular case, Hashem said he cannot give a timeframe but would make efforts to secure the rights of the workers as soon as possible and that he has full faith the Kuwaiti legal system. He said that the company must pay the workers all their dues and renew their residencies or repatriate them at its own cost.

By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
Arab Times Staff

Here, here! Kuwait could do with a few more Hashem Majeds.