Not satisfied with their employment conditions, about 125 Bangladeshi workers of Tianli Construction Ltd have been on strike for two days. Yesterday, they went in large numbers to the headquarters of the Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers (CTSP) to express their grievances in the presence of two inspectors from the Ministry of Labor. They said that if no agreement is found to improve their working conditions, they will not resume work on the four construction sites, including Baie du Tombeau, Beau-Vallon, Saint-Pierre and Quatre-Bornes.
These workers blame the company for not adjusting their base salary in line with the annual salary compensation. They also claim that since they have been in Mauritius, they have been entitled to only one pair of shoes and one uniform. They also feel that the quantum of overtime pay, which is Rs 50 per hour, is inadequate. The leaders of the CTSP, Reaz Chuttoo and Jane Ragoo, have called for an urgent meeting with the company’s management at the Ministry of Labour to resolve the situation. This has been scheduled for this Thursday afternoon. The CTSP leaders, who held an urgent press conference yesterday, deplored the fact that there is no framework law that protects foreign workers in Mauritius.
