Thousands of migrant workers from Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation WLL (NSH), Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC, and Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) staged a nearly week-long protest in Bahrain over poor working and living conditions. There was violent reprisal from the companies’ security personnel and the police.
Workers were complaining about several issues, including unsafe working conditions, unhygienic and crowded accommodation, non-payment of wages, and substandard food. Between 1,000 and 2,000 workers, mainly from India and Nepal, initiated a strike on Tuesday 7 September after one of them allegedly had sunstroke and was hospitalised.
The strike morphed into a week-long protest when the companies’ security personnel began to intimidate and harass the workers. Some workers were severely beaten, sustaining acute injuries, including bloody bruising.
According to reports, several workers have allegedly died or fallen sick in the past months, and workers blamed the deaths and sickness on the companies’ working conditions, unhygienic accommodation and lack of safety equipment.
The exact details of what happened with the workers of NSH, Gulf Asia Contracting Company, and Bapco are still unclear. Bapco and government security personnel have been denied public access to the workers’ camp since the protest began. The workers themselves also live in an isolated area in Sitra.
The companies Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation WLL and Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC are both owned and operated by an Indian billionaire tycoon. NSH is one of the biggest industrial contractors in the Gulf region, specialising mainly in the oil and gas, construction, and petrochemical sectors, and has a history of abusive practices, including wage theft, non-payment of end-of-service benefits, and poor working and living conditions.
