Workers Halt Work in Kuwait: Pay Us Our Due, We Want to Be Home During Pandemic

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Around 300 workers from Turkey were dismissed from the construction of Kuwait International Airport. With their rightful due not paid, they have started protesting. Still staying in the construction site and vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak, workers are worried about catching the disease.

One of the workers working for the Limak Construction company of Limak Holding has spoken to bianet about the issue today (April 16) and said that after the first COVID-19 cases started to appear in Kuwait, they were laid off without any dismissal compensation.

Indicating that they are now staying in a camp in the middle of the desert, he has expressed their concerns about being infected with the virus.

Workers want to come back to Turkey. "If we will get sick, we want to be with our families. They are worried as well," they say.

'We owe you nothing, you can stay or go'

One of the workers who have halted work in protest has told bianet the following about what happened in this process:

"When the disease came to Kuwait last month, a meeting was held with the executives. It was said, 'Virus is spreading in Kuwait, terminate your employment and leave.' Even the ones who would take a leave were requested to hand in their resignation and go like that.

"The dismissed were promised that their compensations would be paid. We also wanted our overtime payments for festive and bank holidays to be made. They accepted to make these payments as well.

"We bought flight tickets to Turkey. I could find a ticket for 2,600 lira (~ $375). Some friends even paid 4,000 lira for the tickets.

"But, after we reached an agreement, we heard something else. They told us 'You are not owed anything. You can stay or go, it is up to you.' We informed our executives about it, but no one cared. 'We won't interfere,' they said. 

"Then, we go to the Limak Holding's office here, we met the construction supervisor. He also told us that 'we were not owed anything.' We halted work on April 6. We have gone on a strike. We said, 'We want our rights.'

'Everyone is worried about their daily bread'

"We used to work for a subcontractor, then we have started working for Limak Holding. Our all meetings were also with the officials from Limak Holding. But, the executives could not keep their promises to us. They were afraid to say, 'We promised you to pay you your rightful due.'

"We are resisting as 300 people. Around 3 thousand friends of ours are still working. Of course, everyone is worried about their own daily bread. We don't want anyone's rights because we have been dismissed. The official documents say that we have been laid off, but we did not sign any papers. Our strike will continue until we get our rights.

'We are in the middle of the desert. What if...'

"There were around 4 thousands Turks working here. The total number of workers is around 12 thousand. There are also workers coming from India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

"The virus is spreading across Kuwait, the number of cases is increasing day by day. And they are constantly bringing new workers from outside.

"Workers from India and Bangladesh have come here in the last 20 days. They work for less and they also demand less than us. Maybe some of the newcomers are sick, who knows?

"We want to return home to our families when our rightful due is paid. We are concerned, we are afraid of catching the disease. If the virus has entered a place with 10 thousand people... We are in the middle of the desert. What will happen to us? We cannot leave here.

'You will be racked with pain if you have no money'

"Conditions are very bad, the camp is not cleaned, the condition of toilets is horrible, potable water causes diarrhea. When we first came here, they gave us a hospital card, but this card is apparently only valid for the citizens of Kuwait. It has no use for us.

"If you have money in your own pocket, then you can have treatment. If not, then you will be racked with pain in your bed in ward...

"If we know what disease one has, we try to treat him with the medicine that we brought with us. We came here prepared, we had painkillers, antibiotics, influenza medicine, gastric medicine and the like with us. We are trying to deal with it with these medicine among us. But, in case of another disease, there is nothing we can do about it.

"The catering company left last evening, too. They gave the food in foam-like plastic plates, we couldn't eat that much. We eat our fill with the tomato and cheese that we buy from the canteen.

'My family asks when I will be back'

"We want the authorities in Turkey to solve this problem as soon as possible. We want to come back to our country, we want to return home to our families. The rightful due of the ones dismissed 6 months ago or a year ago was paid. Why don't they pay ours?

"I am married, we have three children. They call me night and day. They are worried. They don't sleep. They ask me when I will be back in Turkey. We don't worry about ourselves any longer, we want to go and be with our children. We want to be in our homeland even if we die."

11 million lira donation to the pandemic campaign

Limak Holding, the owner of the construction, donated 11 million lira (~ $1.5m) to the pandemic campaign launched by President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Frequently reported in the news with occupational homicides and protests of workers, it also constructed the new İstanbul Airport.

In announcing that it won the tender and broke ground for the Kuwait International Airport, Limak Holding previously said on its official website:

"With an approximate $4.5 billion bid, Kuwait International Airport's new terminal construction is the largest tender won abroad in a single package by Turkish contractors. The airport, which will be one of the most modern and technological constructions in the world, is aimed to be completed long before its time, less than 4 years instead of 6 years." The construction was expected to offer employment to 5,000 people. (AS/SD)