Breanna Fehr, February 10, 2008. 12.00 a.m. Labor Problems (#5)
More than 250 workers at the Mohsin Haji Ali Group went on a strike demanding better wages. When the company transport arrived to bring them to work they refused to go. They than gathered in buses and went to the Indian Embassy in Adliya to lodge their protest at the extremely low salaries and harsh working conditions. A worker who didn’t want to reveal their name said that their salaries were very low and that they lived like animals.
They described their living conditions as not having proper facilities and no good beds. There are ten people to a room and the quality of beds is pathetic. Another worker said that he and others have gotten skin diseases by living in such crowded conditions. Sources say the workers were being paid basic salaries but the workers claimed they docked their pay to keep them from leaving mid-contract.
The company said that if the strike continues they will call the police because what they are doing is illegal. They also commented that they are paid fairly and they will look into the living conditions. They claim that if a worker completes his contract than they will be reimbursed the money that has been docked.
I don’t think it should be illegal for workers to go on strike, they have a good reason to go on strike and apparently it needed to be done to get the companies attention. It is wrong for someone to live like that and it is good that these people are trying to get these conditions better for them selves. It is their right to demand suitable living conditions, if the company is claiming to look into it than it seems that the workers got the companies attention. Or I hope at least.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=208404&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30328
2 comments:
I agree that it should not be illegal for workers to go on strike, especially when the working conditions are as bad as this article describes. But, making strikes illegal is a strategy companies and institutions have used for decades because it is effective for controlling workers. I mean, in North Carolina teachers aren't allowed to go on strike, and I think that is the main reason they are paid so poorly.
I agree with you that a strike should not be illegal. If workers feel underprivileged and underpaid they deserve the right to gather and speak up about it. I do find it funny though that the employers admitted to docking their pay until the work was done. I feel like if they are going to own up to scimping on the pay checks they should fess up to the horrible working condtions. They can't go on forever with their employees having skin diseases, it could cause a mass epidemic if the condtions are really that horrible.
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