Protesting migrant workers in Bahrain’s O&G sector face abuse and threats
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Sep 2021
Location: Bahrain
Companies
Nasser S. Al-Hajri Corporation (NSH) - Employer , Bahrain Petroleum Co (BAPCO) - Employer , Samsung Engineering - Client , Technip Energies - Client , Técnicas Reunidas - ClientAffected
Total individuals affected: 2000
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - India , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Deaths , Violence , Right to Food , Injuries , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Personal Health , Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Bahrain's Ministry of Labor and Social Development issued a statement indicating that an agreement to end the protest was signed and that the situation has returned to normal. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited all five named companies to respond to the allegations. NSH told us their response was also on behalf of Gulf Asia Contracting as they are part of the same group. We also invited the UK Export Finance agency which had provided insurance for the Bapco Modernisation Programme to provide details of their due diligence process and response. Their response can be read in full on our website.
Source type: NGO
Thousands of migrant workers from Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation W.L.L (NSH), Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC, and Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), staged a nearly week-long protest in Bahrain over poor working and living conditions, resulting in violent reprisal from the companies' security personnel and the police.
According to sources, the workers were complaining about several issues, including unsafe working conditions, unhygienic and crowded accommodation, non-payment of wages, and substandard food. The workers, hailing mainly from India and Nepal, initiated a strike on Tuesday, 7 September, after one of them allegedly had sunstroke and was hospitalised...
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. NSH is one of the biggest industrial contractors in the Gulf region, specializing mainly in the oil and gas, construction, and petrochemical sectors...
NSH and Gulf Asia Contracting Company LLC were contracted by Bapco along with a consortium of companies known as TTSJV, 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). It is unclear if the workers who went on strike included workers employed or managed by TTSJV.