Bahrain strike action continues for second day

A strike by more than 70 workers at a Bahrain equipment-hiring company continued for a second day on Sunday as talks to resolve the dispute broke down.

And a spokesman for the workers has accused government officials of snubbing them after five representatives were turned away from the Labour Ministry when they went to lodge an official complaint against Abu Amer Equipment Hiring Company.

Workers claim the company is illegally deducting cash from their salaries but they were turned away after being told that all 75 striking workers should show up to file the complaint, Gulf Daily News reported on Monday.

"We gave our complaint, but they would not accept it - stating all of us had to be present," a spokesman told the paper.

The Indian, Nepali and Pakistani workers first went on strike on Saturday and refused to board buses that arrived to transport them to their worksite at 5.30am.

They accused the company of deducting money from their salaries to pay for machinery repairs and forcing them to do work they are not supposed to do.

"We are sure we shall not return to work until our demands are met and all of us will try and go to the ministry again," added the spokesman.

A Labour Ministry official declined to comment on Sunday, but said they might have been turned away because authorities wanted to make sure all 75 were complaining about their treatment - not just a handful of disgruntled staff.

A company official told the paper that senior management, including the managing director, visited the labour camp where they live and tried to reason with the workers but the workers refused to talk.

The strike is the second to happen in Bahrain in a week after thousands of workers for Al Hamad Contracting Company refused to work in a dispute over pay which was later resolved when the company agreed to pay part of the money owed.

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