The Indian labour consul in Dubai has accused the Perfect Group of trying to dodge its obligation to repatriate 40 construction workers.
It follows a strike by 1500 workers from the company in Sharjah earlier this month, demanding unpaid wages, clean water and better living conditions.
“All the workers have been paid but about 40 of them do not want to continue working with the company anymore and have asked to be repatriated as soon as possible, as they feel things will not change,” said BS Mubarak, the recently appointed consul labour at the Indian Consulate.
He added: “The consulate has asked the company to provide a detailed schedule of the plans for the repatriation of all forty workers, which they still haven’t done.
“We have asked the company to fly all the workers back to India within the next 15 days.”
A manager from the Perfect Group refused to comment on the repatriation of the workers and referred enquiries to the Indian Consulate in Dubai, saying it was responsible for the plan.
The Sharjah-based contracting group runs the risk of being blacklisted by the Indian government if it fails to repatriate the men.
The strike by the company’s workforce was the largest demonstration of site workers to be held in the UAE in recent months.
Most of the labourers involved in the dispute have since agreed to return to work following a deal brokered by the Indian Consulate.
But 40 of them no longer want to work for the company and have demanded to be sent home.
The demonstration by the Perfect Group workers was one of several pay rows to have hit the construction sector in Dubai and Sharjah.
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