02 July 2005
Kuwait City - In an extraordinary situation in Kuwait, about 3,000 cleaning company workers of an unidentified company demonstrated and refused to hand over the keys and other items in their possession to the workers of the new contracting company when their company's contract with the Al-Razi, Maternity, Chest and Allergy Diseases hospitals was terminated. A reliable source told the Arab Times the company had violated one of the terms and conditions of the contract by not paying the workers for several months and forcing them to demonstrate and refuse to work thus disrupting the cleaning services at several hospitals.
When the workers refused to leave the premises at these hospitals, a police force led by Director of the Security Directorate of the Capital Governorate Brigadier Dr Mustafa Al-Zuaabi rushed to the place and threatened to take action if the workers don't abide by the laws of the country. It has also been reported after the arrest of one of the workers believed to be the man leading the demonstration, the disheartened workers quietly left the place. Those present during the negotiations were the acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Ali Al-Seif, Undersecretary of the Legal Affairs Department Dr Abdulkareem Jaafar, Director of the Legal Affairs Department Mahmoud Abdulhadi, Director of the Chest Diseases Hospital Dr Fahd Al-Khalifah and Director of the Maternity Hospital Dr. Mansour Sarkhouh. Most cleaning workers get very low salaries - around KD 20 - but in the recent past the number of protests by them have increased as they say even this meagre amount is not paid to them for months.
Kuwait City - In an extraordinary situation in Kuwait, about 3,000 cleaning company workers of an unidentified company demonstrated and refused to hand over the keys and other items in their possession to the workers of the new contracting company when their company's contract with the Al-Razi, Maternity, Chest and Allergy Diseases hospitals was terminated. A reliable source told the Arab Times the company had violated one of the terms and conditions of the contract by not paying the workers for several months and forcing them to demonstrate and refuse to work thus disrupting the cleaning services at several hospitals.
When the workers refused to leave the premises at these hospitals, a police force led by Director of the Security Directorate of the Capital Governorate Brigadier Dr Mustafa Al-Zuaabi rushed to the place and threatened to take action if the workers don't abide by the laws of the country. It has also been reported after the arrest of one of the workers believed to be the man leading the demonstration, the disheartened workers quietly left the place. Those present during the negotiations were the acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Ali Al-Seif, Undersecretary of the Legal Affairs Department Dr Abdulkareem Jaafar, Director of the Legal Affairs Department Mahmoud Abdulhadi, Director of the Chest Diseases Hospital Dr Fahd Al-Khalifah and Director of the Maternity Hospital Dr. Mansour Sarkhouh. Most cleaning workers get very low salaries - around KD 20 - but in the recent past the number of protests by them have increased as they say even this meagre amount is not paid to them for months.
By Daifallah Al-Shimmari
© Arab Times 2005
