(MENAFN Press) The plight of the 10 destitute Bangladeshi workers - laid off by their company and compelled to live in dingy conditions outside an abandoned construction site “ is finally over after Kele Contracting gave them jobs and issued visas for them.
The workers, whose unpaid wages of several months accumulated to over thousands of dirhams, were abandoned by their employer, Robust Contracting, after the company's assets were liquidated through court orders for not paying their debts.
"Initially it was 30 of us, but many found friends or relatives who let them share their roof.
After they were gone, it was just the 10 of us, living near the Dubai Investments Parkin the scorching heat, without electricity or running water.
We waited for months, but in the end, it was all worth it," one of the workers said.
"Thanks to Kele Contracting, we have a future to look forward to," he added.
Andrew Elias, CEO Kele Contracting, commented, "We are glad to have played our part in helping these workers stand on their feet once again, allowing them to help themselves and their families.
They have fought hard for their rights, they were unwavering in the most deplorable circumstances and now it has all changed.
After all the trouble they went through, they have earned this opportunity."
Mr Elias went on to observe that the situation that these men found themselves in is one that many workers have faced in recent years.
He remarked that as the global economic crisis forced many companies out of business, it has often been the working men on the street that have been hardest hit by the repercussions of decisions made in boardrooms.
Through the intervention of Kele, 10 of these men are once again gainfully employed and can plan for a real future.
Three of the men have been taken on as helpers, one as a welder, two as steel fixers, two as carpenters, one as a mason, and one as an assistant store keeper.
Their original employer had offered to pay each worker Dh2,000, along with flight tickets back home.
But that was only a fraction of what they were in fact owed and as most of them have families that depend on them, it wasn't just compensation that they needed “ they needed a new source of income, which they now thankfully have.
Covering the GCC and MENA regions Kele was established as a partnership with Enshaa PSC and Australian affiliate, Kele International Holdings.
The construction giant currently has construction projects underway in the region including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain.
The firm specialises in construction management and contracting, as well as value engineering, interior fit-out and design-and-build projects, and it counts various well-known regional and international industry players among its clients.
Having successfully completed numerous large-scale residential, commercial high-rise and infrastructure projects, Kele has emerged as a significant force in the Middle Eastern construction industry.
