Power in numbers

It was Bahrain’s largest strike in recent history. it was the day when several thousand workers from Al Hamad Contracting downed tools and demanded their wages.

There was a buzz of excitement around the Al Hamad labour camp on the outskirts of Bahrain’s industrial area of Askar. We were the first reporters to visit the camp after hearing word that the company’s 7000 strong workforce went on strike.

Hundreds of cheering workers spilled out of the dormitory style accommodation when calls of our arrival rung out across the camp. We were almost instantly surrounded by a mob of men who told us in broken English and translated Malayalam that they have not been paid for two and a half months.

Some said they can’t afford to eat, others said they have no money to send their families, all said they will not return to work unless paid immediately. This was the situation that confronted Al Hamad Contracting’s Bahrain division  a fortnight ago and brought construction of several major projects in the Kingdom to a standstill.

The US $1.3 billion (BHD 490 million) Reef Island project, the $700 million Marina West development and the $650 million Villamar Towers were abandoned by their workforce.

It was a strong message and, as such, the problem was resolved relatively quickly by Al Hamad, which was also facing increasing media scrutiny.

The following morning, workers were swiftly paid one month’s salary and promised the rest within two weeks. They were also promised that, from then on, salaries would always be paid before the 10th of each month. It was a victory for the workers and probably the first moment of empowerment they had experienced since moving to the region under the sponsorship system.

“They are all very excited,” one engineer told Construction Week.

Later that morning the workers, most of whom are from the Indian subcontinent and earn $185 a month, called off the strike and boarded buses bound for various Al Hamad construction sites.

Exactly why workers salaries were delayed was never established, as Al Hamad’s management is yet to publicly comment on the strike despite repeated requests.

Two engineers with the company, who had also not been paid since March, told CW that the firm was owed around
$18 million by the Marina West development, an allegation that Marina West has denied.

Whatever the reason, the incident highlighted the power of passive protest to weed out bad practices in the industry. Unlike many of its neighbouring countries, the right to strike is legal in Bahrain and of late, workers on several projects have successfully been employing their right to it.

Last year, around 1300 workers for GP Zachariades (GPZ) staged a six-day strike demanding better pay and conditions. In April around 600 workers for Habib Ali Awachi & Sons Contracting went on strike over mistreatment of a terminated worker.

And, only three weeks ago around 600 workers from Projects Construction Company went on strike after not being paid for up to four months. The incident turned out to be quite embarrassing for the client, the $797 million Riffa Views development, which was forced to admit it was not paying its bills.

In these tough economic times, many experts are predicting an increase in these types of cases as some developers withhold money from contractors, who in turn withhold money from their workforce.

Those in Bahrain however may be starting to think twice about this strategy under the threat of a mass strike, which
would undoubtably tarnish their brand and reputation.

Al Hamad’s 7000 workers may not have had the ability to chase their employer through the courts, but they did have power in numbers.