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Dubai, Aug 17 - Employees of the Royal Tower Construction Company whose overcrowded labour camp caught fire earlier this month, killing 17 Indian workers, have rejected an agreement reached between the Bahraini labour ministry and the construction firm.
The Indian embassy in Bahrain on the other hand has sought legal help to seek compensation for the families of the dead Indian workers, according to Gulf Daily News.
The Indian workers have expressed utter disappointment with the decisions taken by the officials concerned, said a report in the Bahrain Tribune newspaper.
Under the agreement rejected by the workers, they were to have received all dues till Aug 15.
However, the workers have demanded a proper account of money deducted from their wages, as well as a compensation package for the families of those killed in the fire.
'They took 15 days to reach the agreement but we were asked to decide within a couple of hours. We have reiterated our grievances umpteen times but no action has been taken. They always say we will look into it. Ministry officials said the insurance for the workers who died in the Gudaibiya fire was the responsibility of General Organisation of Social Insurance (GOSI) and that insurance is paid only for injuries at worksite,' a worker, Vaithialingam K, told the Bahrain Tribune.
'But the fire had been caused due to the company's negligence. So why are not they paying compensation immediately? If the dead cannot get justice then how can we expect it?
'We are being asked to resume work immediately. We are ready to do that but on the condition that they give us a deadline for resolving the situation legally and financially including a decision on compensation for the next of kin of those who died,' he told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, the Bahrain government's acting labour relations director and head of occupational health and labour inspection, Nedhal Al Banna, will again meet the workers, Indian embassy officials and the construction company managers to help reach an amicable solution acceptable to all parties concerned.
Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Balkrishna Shetty said that India is considering this to be a test case of how labour disputes are settled in Bahrain.
'This is a case where 17 precious lives have been lost due to a sponsor's blatant violation of Bahrain's labour law,' he told Gulf Daily News.
Meanwhile, a company official has said that the company will not pay salary for the days the workers stay away from work after Aug 15.
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