Kuwait

Indian construction workers went on strike

About 90 Indian construction workers went on strike in early April, claiming that their company has not given them their wages for seven months.  They also noted the food shortage in the labor camp and the company’s refusal to pay for their rent. Indian Ambassador to Kuwait M. Ganapathi said the workers filed a complaint to the embassy last October and had gone to court regarding the dispute. The embassy is now trying to arrange an out-of-court settlement.

In another incident, police arrested five Indian workers after a strike staged by 525 contract workers, who claimed their company had violated the labor contract. The workers, mostly Indians and employed as carpenters, electricians, drivers and plumbers, said they were paid only KD60 ($226) instead of the KD100 ($376) that was promised in the contract.  There are some 550,000 Indian workers in Kuwait; most of them are employed in the construction industry.

Sources: IANS, “Indian workers in Kuwait without wages for seven months,” The Economic Times, 11 April 2008; IANS, “Five striking Indian workers arrested in Kuwait,” Hindustan Times, 14 April 2008