Chinese nationals who could not afford food when a labor agency withheld back pay for over two months after suspending them from their jobs on a State-owned firm's project in the United Arab Emirates have been assisted by the local Chinese consulate, news portal youth.cn reported Thursday.
The group of 42 workers was suspended by the Feidaying labor agency from their jobs on China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC)'s Silicon Park Project in the Emirate of Sharjah in Febraury, shortly after a dispute over an injured worker's medical treatment.
After their suspension, they received neither their back pay nor the free food they had formerly received as part of their contract, according to a Tuesday report from youth.cn.
"Guo [the head of Feidaying] told us that he would pay us within ten days after we said we wanted to go back, but he didn't. We have spent nearly all of our savings on buying food," one worker was quoted as saying.
Feidaying reportedly had their contract with CSCEC cancelled in March.
After the workers became desperate earlier this week, they contacted the Chinese media and their story was picked up by youth.cn on Tuesday.
They initially received individual donations of food and 10,000 yuan ($1,449) from members of the local Chinese community, before the intervention of Chinese Consulate-General in the Emirate of Dubai intervention led to CSCEC providing the workers with food and money to cover living expenses.
Wage negotiations are still ongoing as of press time, though Guo has stated that he will not pay the workers as they did not work until the end of their contract period.
