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A BITTER stand-off has erupted between contractors and construction workers following a series of strikes in Bahrain this week by labourers demanding more money and better working conditions.
Companies are considering sending workers back home because the stoppages are leading to delays in completing projects.
Samir Nass, Bahrain's Chamber of Commerce and Industry's contracting committee head, said: "All workers have come to Bahrain after being aware of what they would be getting and have signed contracts. We did not force anyone to come. They came on their own. They are free to leave and we shall send them home.
"They can go back if they want, but not strike. This will not do. Huge infrastructure projects are at stake."
Action by the labourers coincides with the Indian government's decision to fix the minimum wage for unskilled workers at BD100, although it was quick to stress it was only applicable to fresh employment contracts signed with effect from next month.
However, workers already on the island say they will not work for less. They are being paid around BD60 a month and have been hit by the rising cost of living alongside the falling value of the dinar - pegged to the US dollar - against the Indian rupee, which means they have less money to send to families back home.
Strikes have hit the Durrat Al Bahrain project and the Mohsin Haji Ali Group in recent days. One striker said: "We will not go back to work until we get a pay rise because what we are asking for is fair."
Company executives, however, are refusing to budge and have threatened to replace strikers with willing workers from elsewhere, although it is understood those on strike include workers from not only India but Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
