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Most Besix Co. workers report for work as labour officials intervene

The remaining workers who did not report for work will have to face legal action, followed by deportation. The members of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, Labour Department, and police went yesterday morning to different camps of Besix and asked workers to either report for work or face deportation. Except a small number, most workers had chosen to report for duty.

On Saturday night, some of the workers had turned violent and attacked their colleagues, alleging that they had gone for work. Earlier, the committee had imposed a deadline for the workers to return to work or face legal action, followed by deportation. Rashid Bakheet, Member of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, told your favourite No.1 newspaper ‘Khaleej Times’ yesterday that most of the workers reported for duty. “Some of the workers still refused to work and stayed back. We have given everyone a chance to abide by the rule of the country. If they do not want to work, they can go back to their respective countries,” he said.

The Besix management has decided to fulfil several of the workers’ demands, including payment of food allowance, refunding money deducted as visa cost, air tickets for their destination, compensation in case of accidents, and free gas in the kitchen. But workers are not ready to accept anything less than an increase in the salary to Dh1,000.

Commenting on this, Bakheet said: “The workers will get all these concessions as the company agreed. The company officials co-operated well with the officials. They paid the salaries on time. The demands of the workers were not acceptable.” The number of workers who did not report to work was, however, not available.

• UAE