When will we act like a modern state?
Kuwait Times, Monday October 17, 2005
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

By Muna Al-Fuzai

A group of Egyptian labourers held a protest against their employer, a local Kuwaiti firm, in Fahad Al-Salem Street this Saturday. Their demands were reasonable and humane. They called for their salaries which had not been paid and for their passports to be handed over. About 80-100 workers attended the rally.

These poor workers were complaining because of not getting their salaries. The Egyptian Embassy representative talked to the gathering and promised them to follow up their problem. The workers expressed their anger for not getting paid their salaries.

One of them said "All we want is our money." "We have been working day and night, but we are also having responsibilities towards our families." The worker added "We have needs and demands like any other human being. We don't want anything more that what is owed to us."

The police came in. They talked to the gathering and calmed them down. The crowd finally scattered and the workers were asked to file a complaint with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

Just another daily agony with a typical dead end response: I think this problem is getting deeper with no way to salvation. Not only have these workers been away from their home and families for many long years but they work day and night like animals or less. All this time they were hoping to get paid eventually, the fair due for their skills and labour and time.

Can you imagine anything harder for anyone than not getting paid after so many long working hours? Is there any greater cruelty than this? Are we living in a civilised country or what? Such complaints must be stopped immediately. An urgent act must be taken to protect our image as a modern state.

Modern countries respect human rights and seek the best of its abilities to support its residents regardless of their nationalities or ranks. Discriminations and human violations must be denied by real acts not words.

Words can never be enough to illustrate the dilemma of those poor workers. I believe it is another chapter in an endless story. I think it does not matter what nationalities you have.

If you came to this country with a business contract as a cleaner or a fisherman or whatever, any lowly job, then you are an easy target for human violations. You will be a small fish in a big ocean. Get ready to fight for your life. You will have to ask a lot for your simple life demands such as your salary.

I will not ask the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour to interfere because I think it knows everything about such practices. Instead, I call upon the local and the international NGOs to say No to such manipulations in people's life. I hope the media keep covering such stories until something happens.

munaalfuzai@kuwaittimes.net