In one graphic video - Opens in new tab circulating online, one worker is seen protesting as blood gushes out from his slit throat, while he exclaims that he has a wife and family and cannot go home empty-handed. It is unclear how the worker was injured and what his current condition is.
According to some reports - Opens in new tab and sources on the ground, several workers have allegedly died or fell sick in the past months. MRRORS.org (MR) could not confirm these claims, but social workers in Bahrain told MR that the workers blamed the deaths and sickness on the companys’ working conditions, unhygienic accommodation, and lack of safety equipment.
The companies, Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation W.L.L and Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC, are both owned and operated by the Indian billionaire tycoon Ravi Pillai - Opens in new tab. NSH is one of the biggest industrial contractors in the Gulf region, specializing mainly in the oil and gas, construction, and petrochemical sectors.
NSH has a history of abusive practices - Opens in new tab, including wage theft, non-payment of end-of-service benefits, and poor working and living conditions. On 30 January 2021, 161 former NSH workers staged a protest - Opens in new tab in front of Pillai’s residence in Kollam, India.
Pillai is one of the richest and most powerful Indians in the Gulf, and has strong ties with government officials in both India and the Gulf. He sits on the board of directors of NorkaRoots - Opens in new tab — a public initiative launched by the government of Kerala to "redress the grievances of non-resident Keralites both in India and abroad - Opens in new tab". In 2015 - Opens in new tab, several ruling family members from the GCC were guests at his daughter's extravagant US$ 9 million wedding ceremony in Kerala.
MR has previously reported on how influential businessmen in the Gulf are able to exploit their connections to hinder workers’ access to redress, and enjoy a high degree of immunity against any punitive action.
Bapco - Opens in new tab, on the other hand, is Bahrain’s national oil company and wholly owned by the government of Bahrain. The company is the cornerstone of Bahrain’s economy and it is responsible for a massive portion of energy-related activities in the country; primarily refining, distribution of petroleum products and natural gas.
NSH - Opens in new tab and Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC - Opens in new tabwere contracted by Bapco along with a consortium of companies - Opens in new tab known as TTSJV - Opens in new tab, which is a joint venture of Italy’s TechnipFMC, South Korea’s Samsung Engineering, and Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas, to undertake the multi-billion dollar project of expanding and upgrading Bapco’s existing refining facilities (Bapco Modernization Programme - Opens in new tab). It is unclear if the workers who went on strike included workers employed or managed by TTSJV.
Given the Bahraini government’s stake in this project, it is unlikely that officials will hold the companies criminally or administratively liable. MR has previously reported on how the Ministry of Labour and Social Development (MLSD) rarely sanctions errant companies, and especially those that are contracted by the government. Instead, the MLSD usually attempts to negotiate with the employer to rectify violations, without holding them legally accountable or imposing fines.
In some cases, the MLSD is directly involved in labour abuses: officials have previously threatened workers of G.P Zachariades to work without pay on government projects. When workers from Bahrain Services & Maintenance Co. B.S.C(c) - Opens in new tab (BASMA) — a large security and cleaning company with multi-million dollar government contracts - Opens in new tab — organized a protest - Opens in new tab last year against labour abuse, the MLSD, brazenly denied - Opens in new tab that the protest took place.
The MLSD’s statement - Opens in new tab on the protests (see below) indicates that this continues to be its modus operandi. Case after case demonstrates that the MLSD is not a neutral arbiter, particularly when it comes to companies contracted by the government.
The exact details on what happened with the workers of NSH, Gulf Asia Contracting Company, and Bapco are still unclear. Bapco and government security personnel have denied public access to the workers’ camp since the protest began. The workers themselves also live in an isolated area in Sitra.
Due to the restrictive environment, local media outlets - Opens in new tab that covered the story did not include a single testimony from workers, instead parroting the MLSD’s statement alone. Local civil society organisations have been completely silent on the protests. The workers are on their own.
Migrant-Right.org urges the Bahraini government to allow for a transparent investigation into the allegations by the workers of Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation, Gulf Asia Contracting Company, and Bahrain Petroleum Company, ideally by a neutral third party. The government must hold those responsible for the alleged labour abuse accountable and protect workers’ safety and labour rights everywhere. And as recommended previously, Bahrain must increase its labour inspectorate capacity and enhance its redressal mechanisms.
