ABU DHABI // Workers at a UAE food company claim they have been forced to resign and denied their dues and end of service entitlements.
The companies under Dubai’s Pal International Foodstuff headquartered in Rashidiyah, include Odyssey Shipchandlers, Capital Foodstuff Trading, Eastern Flower Foodstuff in Abu Dhabi and Pal Fish Processing in Ajman.
According to the Ministry of Labour, the total number of workers registered at all the establishments is 83.
Workers say the Indian owner of the group fled the country after his companies went bankrupt and he threw them out of their accommodation. Now they say they live around mosques or with friends.
“They forced us to resign and evicted us from the accommodation but I don’t understand why they don’t cancel our visas,” said a Pakistani, who worked with Pal International Foodstuff in Rashdiyah.
“Now we don’t want anything from the company except the cancellation of our visas so that we can return home to our children. Why would they hold us here?” he questioned. “Without any notification they forced us to resign,” he said.
“Now I don’t have any place to stay. Sometimes I sleep around the mosques or company’s backyards.” His visa expired in November and now he is concerned he is living illegally.
“My company’s owner fled to India leaving us in pathetic condition,” he said.
In response to The National’s queries, the Ministry of Labour said it was following the case and had inspected the companies involved.
Mohsen Al Nassi, deputy assistant undersecretary for inspection affairs at the Ministry of Labour, said the ministry is closely following the case.
“The establishments in question have been inspected. Inspections showed that there are five establishments owned in full or partly by foreign investors.”
“All establishments have paid their workers’ wages up until October 2015 with the exception of one establishment that hired 12 workers who haven’t been paid since August 2015,” Mr Al Nassi said.
The employees facing problems are office assistants, store keepers, loading and unloading labourers and drivers.
Another Indian employee with Eastern Flower Foodstuff in Abu Dhabi, whose visa is valid until 2017, said the company gave him no notice of his resignation.
“From six companies five in Dubai one in Musaffah, almost all employees were fired except mangers and accountants to collect company’s dues from the market.”
But the owner left for India in November. There are approximately 150 employees were working in these companies.”
Indian driver who worked with the Capital Foodstuff in Dubai, said, “They already typed our resignation documents and forced us to sign, even my visa was valid until next year.
“They also held my passport and are not cancelling the visa. How we can move anywhere? They just keep promising tomorrow, tomorrow,” he said.
The company also refused to give return home ticket, he said.
“We don’t have money to eat for a month.”
Mr Al Nassi said the ministry has communicated with one of the partners and he said that he, in cooperation with his partners, will settle all the workers’ dues.
He confirmed there are no complaints registered at the ministry on behalf of the workers.
Another worker who worked with the Pal International Foodstuff in Al Quiz branch in Dubai, only demanded his passport back so that he can find work somewhere else. His passport was held for one and a half months.
A sponsor at Pal International Foodstuff, Ali, said when questioned about forced sacking of workers: “This is not your newspaper’s business to know what happened in the company and nothing happened.
“If there is anything they [the employees] have to go to the labour office or to the police station or anywhere, not the newspaper,” Mr Ali said, hanging up the phone.
As per the MoL rules in such cases, if a worker is not paid for 60 days or it has gone bankrupt, he or she can move to another firm without the required approval of the previous establishment. For unpaid dues, case can be referred to the labour court.
Establishments that default on paying wages can be referred to the public prosecution according to article 181 of the labour code.
A defaulting establishment is fined Dh10,000 for each worker, as long as the total amount of the fines doesn’t exceed Dh5m.
The company did not reply to the questions from The National.
anwar@thenational.ae
