Worker's marriage plan goes bust due to labour dispute in UAE

Abu Dhabi - He has been working with Al Wasita for more than five years and the company owes him Dh11,000 is pending dues.

They say marriages are made in heaven. But in the case of Indian expat Jadeesh P. Shaji, the nuptial plan seems to be stuck between the stars. The Keralite, who works as a cook in Abu Dhabi, said his marriage date had to be cancelled twice because he is stranded in the UAE and cannot fly home due to a labour dispute with his company.
"I got engaged in September and the marriage was first fixed for December. But I could not make it as the case was ongoing and my visa was cancelled. I moved the marriage dates to March, but I am still stuck here," Shaji, 31, told Khaleej Times.
He along with 400 employees of Al Wasita Emirates Catering Services in Mussafah is awaiting the outcome of a legal settlement they have reached with the company over non-payment of salaries.
Khaleej Times had earlier reported on the plight of the unpaid workers who were surviving on discarded food after their company reportedly became non-functional. The men from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt and Philippines are put up at a two-storey accommodation in Musssafah with limited and intermittent supply of food and even electricity and water.
In January, around 400 workers received 50 per cent of their salary as a settlement after the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) deployed a mobile court to the workers' accommodation.
Shaji is one among the many who signed the settlement paper, but are still awaiting payments and repatriation even after two months. He has been working with Al Wasita for more than five years and the company owes him Dh11,000 is pending dues. "How can I go home without this money?, he asked.
He said there is immense pressure from the bride's family as his plans to return to India still remains uncertain.
"How many times can I postpone the (marriage) date? The girl's family feels trapped that they have fixed their daughter's marriage but cannot proceed. My fiancée is supportive but I don't know for how long she can withstand her family's pressure. I don't even have enough money to call them often and keep them posted on what is happening here," said Shaji.
Many of his colleagues are also facing similar predicament and have missed important family events.
A company representative who does not want to be named said "there is no information on why the delay in settling the payments". "We are also waiting for the right answers," said the official.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Abu Dhabi