Missing $3 million leaves Hastie workers stranded in Oman
Expat workers employed by Australian construction company Hastie Group have been left stranded in the Middle East after the company fell into administration. According to Australian radio station, ABC, the company transferred $2.9 million from its Dubai business to Australia days before the administrators were sent in to the ailing sub-contractor. It is claimed that […]
Hastie was a sub-contractor on Dubai's JAL Towers
Expat workers employed by Australian construction company Hastie Group have been left stranded in the Middle East after the company fell into administration.
According to Australian radio station, ABC, the company transferred $2.9 million from its Dubai business to Australia days before the administrators were sent in to the ailing sub-contractor.
It is claimed that 1,500 workers, including 20 expat Australians and workers from India, Pakistan and the Philippines are now unable to be paid their termination entitlements.
Workers at the Al Hail, Oman offices of Hastie have staged a sit-in front of the building, the Oman Times has reported.
“We heard that the company’s Middle East operations are in trouble. We have not got last month’s salary. So, staged a sit-in after the settlement talks failed,” a worker told the newspaper. “We will approach the Labour Department on Monday. We were offered job from the main contracting company but most of us came from Dubai and we don’t want to continue. We are ready to return if we get our due salary and tickets to fly back home.”
Hastie Group administrator Ian Carson told ABC that the main priority for the team handling the company to facilitate re-employment of the workers.
“We’ve got discussions with the main builders and contractors and there’s a number of opportunities for those contracts to continue and so that’s our main focus,” he confirmed.
