• Home

Company denies worker's claims

DUBAI — Gammon and Billimoria LLC have denied all the allegations levelled against them by 39-year-old Navek Chandrika Prasad, an Indian employed by the company whose services were terminated on May 4

Prasad, who suffered fractures following a fall from a building in February, had alleged that the company terminated his services all of a sudden for no apparent reason and without giving him a month's notice. He had also alleged that the company had cancelled his visa without his knowledge and that he was not given end-of-service benefits and the ticket back home.

The company's Human Resources and Administration Manager Salama Maloul told Khaleej Times that Gammon and Billimoria LLC was a reputed firm established 80 years ago and with a good track record of employee treatment. It had executed hundreds of projects and was never involved in a labour dispute, he pointed out.

On the Prasad case, he said the injured worker was taken by the company to the hospital and was granted six weeks leave from February 14. The company had paid him full salary for three months even though he did not seek extension of sick leave nor did he submit any medical report, he claimed.

Salama said Prasad's termination was based on poor performance and for violating safety norms despite warnings before the fall. He also said that Prasad had received the one month's notice, end-of-service benefits and the air ticket after completing all the procedures as per labour laws. "He was supposed to fly out on May 16, but he didn't turn up, and threatened to drag us to court," he said.

Mustafa Jhanjharya, Finance Manager of the company, said they did have a workers' compensation policy. "If Prasad wanted to make any claim covered by the policy, we see no reason for not giving him his rights," he said, adding that he would have been compensated if he had suffered permanent disabilities because of the accident.

• UAE