The Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour has issued orders to security authorities to gear up and be ready to face further demonstrations by Bangladeshi workers in the country, a Kuwaiti daily reported yesterday.The Kuwait Times also reported that Kuwaiti police on Sunday broke up protests by over 300 Bangladeshi workers in Hasawi and took at least fifty men into custody.The workers were protesting non-payment of salary arrears.In another incident, the United Arab Emirates yesterday deported 87 Bangladeshi workers from Dubai Immigration, saying their visas were not valid.An immigration police at Zia International Airport said that these workers were flown back by three flights of Gulf Air, Emirates and Qatar Airways. They had left for UAE with work visas on August 13.The recruiting agencies that processed these workers' documents could not be contacted yesterday.The Kuwait Times meanwhile reported that the Kuwaiti ministry has information that a number of Bangladeshi workers employed at security and safety companies as well as taxi drivers are now planning strikes. The report said that disgruntled Bangladeshi workers are planning demonstrations at various locations around Kuwait because the companies have withheld their salaries for several months now.In another incident, a number of Bangladeshis working at Kuwait's National Assembly also went on strike Sunday, claiming that the company employing them does not pay them the agreed salary and also forces them to work 12 hours a day, the newspaper reported.The newspaper quoted the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Bader Al-Duwaila as saying that said he will never allow companies to violate laws and the ministry will definitely not permit companies to infringe on the rights of workers.He said strict legal action would be initiated against all errant companies even if high-ranking officials own them.The Kuwait Times report quoted one worker as saying that the company that hired them had agreed to pay each worker Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) 60 per month but in fact was paying only KD 50 per month. The worker also said that the company refused to pay them airfares in accordance with their contract, which stipulates one air ticket home every two years. Also the company forced the workers to pay KD 70 each for renewal of residence and health insurance in violation of local laws. The Kuwaiti National Assembly Secretary General Allam Al-Kandari however denied that there was any protest by its workers and that they had gathered to receive their IDs, according to the report.Meanwhile, nearly 700 Bangladeshis gathered outside the Bangladesh embassy demanding that the embassy take appropriate actions to help the workers realise their dues. Five labourers were chosen as representatives to discuss the issue with embassy officials.The Arab Times, meanwhile, reported that the acting Speaker of the National Assembly Roudhan Al-Roudhan has promised to discuss the issue with the secretary general of the assembly and compel the concerned company to pay the workers' salaries. Earlier in late July, thousands of Bangladeshi workers demonstrated in Kuwait in demand of better pays and working conditions, which led to deportation of 1129 workers. However Kuwait declared minimum wage of KD 40 for cleaners. A number of workers deported by the Kuwaiti police, upon their arrival in Dhaka said that the Kuwaiti police had tortured them and deported them though they had not taken part in any demonstrations.
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