ABOUT 300 Bangladeshi migrant workers are now struggling in a Qatar labour camp where there is no water and power supply. In this situation, many of them have become sick. These workers are not getting any payment since May last. They are among 900 South Asian workers who got job at Hamtons International, a global estate agent chain. They became jobless when the company suspended a construction project near Al Shahaniya in September.
Presently, the jobless workers are living on two meals a day provided by a non-profit organisation. What is surprising is that, neither the Bangladesh embassy nor the Qatar government has come up yet with assistance. The aid agency however said they are trying to get compensation for the workers from the company.
Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi and a Nepalese worker died from stroke in the camp. Qatar Charity provides once in a while diesel that keeps electricity flowing for two-three hours in the camp. The workers are passing days in anxiety due to uncertainty to maintain their families. The camp, on the outskirts of Al Shahaniya, about 20km from Doha, has turned into a breeding ground for flies and insects as there is no cleaning service available. A migrants’ rights body noted that despite formal complaints filed in September with several Qatar-based rights organisations, relevant ministry, and police, the workers saw no change in their situation.
The labour and social affairs ministry in Qatar assured the migrants that Hamptons International would be penalised if it didn’t compensate the workers and clear their dues. But their assurance goes unheeded. Among the Bangladeshis, some 150 arrived in Qatar six months ago while the others three to five years ago. The migrants wanted to work for other companies. Bangladesh embassy in Doha should come forward with aid and initiate the negotiation to drain them to other companies.
Most of the poor people of our country usually sell their properties to migrate in a rich country where they could earn their fortune. We do urge the labour wing of our embassy in Doha to make necessary arrangement for the workers as early as possible. In necessity, it must take legal steps to compensate the migrant workers from the company.
