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Pakistani files cases against his company

DUBAI — Shamsul Bahadar — a Pakistani national — is fighting two cases against the company he worked for. One is that he was unlawfully sacked, and the other, the company is holding back his passport even though he was relieved from his job on April 4, 2005. The company officials say the man is bent on creating scenes.

Bahadar, who has been working with the Sharjah-based company M/s Six Brothers Foodstuffs for the past 14 months, claims that when he asked for sick leave, his services were terminated.

The company, on the other hand, claims that Bahadar is bent upon creating issues on the pretext of staying back in the country. “We cannot hand over the passport to him because he might abscond, and then we will be held responsible,”said Shireen Zaman, the Managing Director of Six Brothers Foodstuffs.

“My complaint is that when I returned the work permit of the company on my last working day, I should have been given back my passport, but the company did not do so. By law, I am allowed to stay in the country for one month more after my cancellation. So, in this context, why is the company still holding on to my documents?,” he asked.

“After serving my notice period, my visa was cancelled on April 5, and I was confirmed to fly back home as soon as possible,” he said adding, “I cannot do that because I have taken a loan of Dh10,000 from Citibank, in addition to credit card payments.”

Bahadar also claimed that he had fallen ill because of working in sub-zero temperatures for long. “The company does not provide proper body protection to its employees, so we used to wrap blankets before entering the store,” he explained. “This was the reason I had swelling in my legs,” said Bahadar.

He also says that he had resigned in August, 2004 due to the unbearable working conditions. The resignation was not accepted and he was asked to continue working until a replacement was found.

Denying Bahadar’s claims, Zaman said that Bahadar tied up his own legs and pretended to be ill. Bahadar also said that he had filed two cases against the company — one for being terminated "without a proper reason", and the second for holding back his passport. “One case hearing is on April 30, and the second is on May 7. So how can I leave the country until these issues are sorted out,” he questioned.

Bahadar also claimed that upon arrival in the country, the company asked for money spent on visas from its employees. “I was asked to pay Dh4,200 when I arrived in the country. Because I was new and did not know the rules, I did it,” he said.

“We spent more than Dh7,000 per employee. We agreed, according to the labour ministry, that this man should be sent back, so I sent a person with his ticket and passport to the airport on April 5, but Bahadar did not turn up,” said Zaman.

“Bahadar used to tape record squabbles between workers and bring them over to me to earn my praise, but I did not appreciate that. Besides, he has caused the company a loss of Dh70,000 during the time he worked with us,” said Zaman. “Till now, we have not filed a case against him, but now, we will also meet him in court,” he said.