By Arvind Nair

A CLEANING company recently raised the food allowance of its 5,000-plus staff after a threat of industrial action, but workers complain the amount is still woefully inadequate.

The allowance was raised by only QR15 from a measly QR100, the workers said.

According to Sagar Shreshta, a Nepali worker, even two basic meals a day cost at least QR150 a month. And since their pay is just QR300, the workers, mostly cleaners and messengers, are finding the going very tough.

Even with tight budgeting, one has to spend another QR100 a month for other needs. That leaves them with savings that are hardly enough to pay off the debts they incurred in coming to Qatar, one worker said.

According to Shreshta, the company has more than 5,000 workers on its rolls, most from Nepal, Sri Lanka or India. All of them, including those who have been working for more than 10 years, get the same QR300 a month plus the allowance. Accommodation is free.

The company breaks the labour rules and contractual obligations with impunity, they alleged. For instance, the workers are given a return ticket to go home only once in four years.

If a worker wants to go home in two years, he is given a one-way ticket, one member of the staff disclosed.

Because of the high cost involved in a trip, there are people who haven’t seen their families for six years or more, another said.

The lucky ones get deputed to companies which give them an additional allowance. Such firms, usually oil companies and banks, give them QR300 or more as a special allowance. Such jobs go to the favourites of the supervisors or managers, one said.

But the unlucky ones are hired by miserly companies and get nothing extra, he said.

The actual work depends on the client. In many cases, particularly in government offices, it is not much. But at certain smaller establishments, it could be tough, they said.

For most of the workers, going back is not an option considering the unemployment in their home countries and their debts and familial obligations, they said. This forces them to suffer continued exploitation by the employer.