Kuwait Times

Published Date: July 29, 2008
By Ahmad Al-Khaled, Hanan Al-Saadoun and Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: The government reached an agreement with Asian workers yesterday to end a three-day strike over pay and conditions, state news agency KUNA said. Three hundred protesters were also deported after being paid their dues, Kuwait Times has learned. Earlier, hundreds of mainly Bangladeshi workers went on strike for a third day, seeking better pay and improved working conditions, with some overturning cars and ransacking offices.

KUNA quoted Cabinet Minister Faisal Al-Hajji as saying the workers had agreed to return to work after the government said it would ensure their rights and that anyone participating in riots would be deported. Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad Baqer said Kuwait would investigate workers' grievances and ensure their rights were respected.

More than 500 Asian cleaners and workers earlier staged street demonstrations until police dispersed them, residents and a security source said. Police used tear gas and batons, and made several arrests among the protesters who were demanding a pay rise. The incidents occurred in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, the scene of one of two protests involving hundreds of Bangladeshi workers demanding better pay and living conditions. The second protest took place in Mahboulah. "Our position is very clear. We want money and n
ot promises. I hope it's clear to all sides, to our embassy and to our company. We want real answers to our demands and perhaps these strikes will continue until we get our demands," said a worker in Jleeb.

Baqer said the government would ensure workers were paid their regular salaries. "And if any injustice happened to them, then they should go to the relevant authorities, the Ministry Of Social Affairs and Labor courts. I have no doubts that they will get their rights," he told KUNA after the Cabinet meeting. Hajji added the government would make sure obligations in labor contracts would be honored.

The company wants me to pay money all the time. Money, money, I have to pay money," one Bangladeshi worker in his 30s said, adding that workers wanted a net salary of KD 50 per month without any deductions for visa fees. A string of strikes has sparked calls by lawmakers to improve conditions for expatriates, mainly Asians and Arabs, who make up two thirds of Kuwait's 3.2 million population. Annual inflation hit 11.4 percent in April in the world's seventh largest oil exporter as high housing and food cos
ts spurred price rises.

On the streets of Jleeb, cleaning workers were destroying a foreman's car. A protester speaking on condition of anonymity said of the foreman, "He is a liar." The protests were broken-up by police, and by early evening the violence had been quelled, with a large police presence visible throughout Jleeb where sirens could be heard at regular intervals.

Speaking to the Kuwait Times, the workers explained that while many had been receiving their salaries regularly, the recent increases in living expenses forced them to demand that their wages be increased from KD 20 per month to KD 40. "If we do not get the pay raise, we will not go to work," said one protesting worker who also wished to remain anonymous.

The protests by hundreds of cleaning workers turned violent in the past few days, leading to the murder of a company representative, random violence, and vandalism of property leading Kuwaiti citizens to call for an end to the violence and the expulsion of any of the protesting workers engaged in violence.

They have gone from protesters to criminals in one fell swoop - their violence put them across the line moving them from the disgruntled guest worker category to criminals and this cannot be excused," said Kuwaiti Walid Al-Enezi. Another citizen, Nasser Al-Shalahee, said, "That's it, they should go to jail for the aggression and then be deported." He added, "Low wages is one thing but their illegal acts must be answered for...if they destroy property, injure people or, God forbid, kill, they should pay th
e price.

Non-violent protests have become common recently as cleaning workers, many of whom are contracted to work in state ministry offices, allege offenses by their employers ranging from withholding salaries for as long as nine months at a time to wages as low as KD 20 per month, to overcrowded, squalid conditions in the accommodation provided by their employers. Protests turned violent at the weekend, with crowds numbering in the thousands taking to the streets of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Sabhan, stoning passing v
ehicles, breaking shop windows and committing other random acts of mob violence. The violent mobs reportedly reached into the thousands by early Sunday morning.

Kuwaitis have expressed concern over the large numbers of men involved and the random nature of the violence. "It is quite scary to think there are thousands of angry men situated just down the road; this is not to be taken lightly, they killed a man!" said a fearful Abeer Al-Shimmari. "The violence has to be stopped immediately - police must get in there and arrest the culprits." said Talal Al-Azmi, adding, "We cannot address their labor problems when they conduct themselves in violent ways.

Some Kuwaitis wondered why the workers had not addressed their problems via the state's legal system. "Why didn't they go through legal channels to resolve their problems?" asked Khalid Al-Bader, adding, "If they had a legitimate problem with their employer, the courts could have solved it. Others charge the legal system with being inaccessible and time consuming. "It appears these uneducated workers lack an understanding of their legal rights...someone should have stepped in to solve this problem before i
t spiraled out of control." said Nour Al-Enezi.

Twenty ambulances were dispatched to the scene of protests as a precaution as some protesters were wielding sticks and knives to prevent anyone from going to work. The interior minister was monitoring the situation from a helicopter and gave instructions to use teargas to disperse the crowd. A special forces soldier was beaten up in Mahboula, and 10 Bangladeshis were injured in Jleeb Al Shuyoukh. 60 laborers were arrested in Mahboula. Some workers also vandalized several buildings near their residence in M
ahboula.

A company owner said one of his employees was able to escape from Jleeb and was worried about his roommates taking revenge, as they threatened him in case he went to work. He said the worker asked to be allowed to sleep on the company premises. (With material from agencies)