Workers get shelter after living in bus for 12 days

Twenty-three Asian workers, who were forced to live inside a bus for over 12 days without food and water, finally found shelter in Sharjah and Dubai labour accommodations.
The Indian and Pakistani workers of Dubai-based construction company Qasr Al Ameer were left in a lurch as the owner of the firm went absconding with the company's funds over a month ago.
The men said that they were rescued after the timely intervention of Dubai Police Human Rights Department and the Ministry of Labour. The men, who were working at a construction site near the Fujairah-Oman border, said that they were asked to leave their labour accommodation about two weeks ago.
"The rent at the labour accommodation that we used to live in went unpaid for several weeks. If it wasn't for the bus, we would be out living on the streets," said Indian national Bhuvaneshwar Mishra, one of the workers.
The men were promised a salary of Dh1,000 per month, which too has been unpaid since September.
The bus driver Inayatullah Khan, who has been working with the company for the last seven years, said that the men decided to pack out of the accommodation in Fujairah because there was no electricity or water supplies at the camp.
"We could not continue living in that camp anyway. We had to chop firewood to cook food and there was no electricity or water," he said. After the men left the camp site, they drove to Dubai and parked their bus in sandy parking lots in Al Qouz and Al Qusais. "Some nights I would just drive the bus around in circles," he added. The bus was loaded with belongings of the men, and since there were 23 of them, they had very little space to sleep peacefully.
After spending a few days near another construction site in Al Qouz, the men shifted near the Dubai Abbatoir in Qusais since it was closer to the Ministry of Labour, where they'd filed a complaint against the company few days ago.
"We did not know who to approach. Many of us got here only eight to nine months ago and apart from our owners, we do not know anyone else," said Arun Mishra.
He added: "Our passports were not with us and our owner refused to attend our phone calls. We have a project manager and a sponsor, who too was unaware of our whereabouts. We felt helpless and some of our men were really sick as well."
A scaffolder in the company, Dharmendar Nissar said: "I needed to go home because my father was ill. On Friday, I came to know that he'd succumbed to illnesses."
Eventually the men ran out of food and water and had to take the help of local social workers for water and food supplies.
"A few kind social workers saved us. if not, we had nowhere to go and would continue to live on the streets," he added.
The driver and the workers used to pool in money for fuel, food, and water. The men would visit nearby mosques to use the bathroom for bathing facilities.
Once the Dubai Police Human Rights Division and the Dubai Labour Authority were alerted about the issue on the night of Wednesday, December 16, the men were immediately moved to different labour accommodations in Sharjah and Dubai on Thursday morning.
After going through this harrowing experience, the men stated that they want to return to their home countries as soon as possible.
Their sponsor Abdullah finally got in touch with them and returned their passports and has agreed to pay arrears and provide them with a flight ticket to return home.
However, Abdullah and other employees of the company were not available for comment.
Meanwhile, members of temporary labour committee visited the workers and on contacting the sponsor of the company, immediate actions were taken to solve their problems.
"The labourers have been taken to other labour accommodations in Dubai and Sharjah and they will be provided food, water, and lodging," according to an official statement Dubai Police Human Rights Division, who are working in coordination with the Ministry of Labour.
The passports of the workers were handed over to them and visas of three labourers have already been cancelled, according to the Ministry. The case will be followed up on Sunday, December 20.
The officials have also assured that the men will be paid their dues before their visas are cancelled. They will also be provided with air tickets back home and the sponsor of the company will provide them with everything that they need.
Official Ministry of Labour authorities refrained from commenting on the matter.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
amira@khaleejtimes.com

The workers were living in this bus for over 12 days with no electricity and water as the owner of the company they worked for went absconding with the company’s funds.