KUWAIT CITY, Jan 12: Employees of an unidentified security company carried on their strike action for the fourth week, in front of the Kuwaiti Human Rights Society Monday morning, few hours after the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi issued a statement to confirm the ministry managed to resolve the problem of the workers by issuing instructions to deduct the workers salaries at the ministry, before the company received them. The workers complained they have not been paid their salaries for the past seven months, and urged the deputy head of the company Maha Al-Barjis to fulfill her promise and pay their overdue salaries. Demonstrators confirmed the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Egyptian embassy in Kuwait only settled down the situation in the presence of the media. They asked for renewal of their residencies, which they stressed are expired at the moment.

Meanwhile, the workers headed for the Social Affairs Ministry within the Ministries’ Complex, where they called on the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi to listen to their complaints.
The Assistant Undersecretary of Labor is said to have received them.
On his part, the official affirmed that problems facing the workers are about to be settled, and requested they should provide a list of the names of workers who have not received their salaries, while those whose residencies have expired will be renewed.

Workers
The workers claim the company has paid them only for two months from a total overdue which ranges between KD 700 and KD 800.
In the meantime, Maha Al-Barjis met the protesters and listened to their complaints. In a statement she noted the ministry has adopted the necessary procedures to resolve the issue, in cooperation with the Human Rights Society in Kuwait.

She pointed out the workers will be paid their two months overdue salaries, and went on to criticize the company for the deliberate encroachment on the workers’ rights.
She added the major problem is with the residencies of the workers, which will expire by the end of this month, while major contracts the company has with some government institutes have ended. She was concerned the workers will be without work and residency shortly, which will definitely lead to a social and security disaster.
Al-Barjis urged the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to discuss transfer of the laborers’ residencies from the company to other companies, which are more committed to law. She reiterated the recurrent strike by workers from companies who have contracts with the ministries proves failure of the system, and suggested the residencies of cleaners and security guards must be transferred to the government institutions and ministries, like their colleagues at the Education Ministry.