Hundreds of former employees of bust airline Bahrain Air are awaiting pay-outs two years after the company went into liquidation.
Today marks the second anniversary of Bahrain Air going into voluntary liquidation after struggling with mounting fuel and airport bills.
In February 2013 many of its 300 staff were left without a job and 22,000 customers were left without tickets, Arabian Business reported at the time.
Two years later, millions of dinars are still owed by Bahrain Air and the carrier is facing numerous unsettled lawsuits. Bahrain newspaper Gulf Daily News reports that many ex-employees have only received 40 percent of the total amount of compensation they were promised, while 33 percent rejected the severance packages outright and decided to try and get more money through the courts.
The airline had earlier agreed to provide former employees with severance pay equal to 24 days salary for each year worked, in addition to compensation for unused leave, notice periods and an indemnity for expatriates.
“It has been exactly two years since Bahrain Air closed its offices and left staff and passengers at the mercy of a liquidator,” an ex-crew member told the GDN.
“On behalf of all the Indian crew of Bahrain Air we want to know why the authorities are still not taking any legal steps against the owners of the company regarding our remaining settlement.
“Also, why has the liquidator not sold off the assets of Bahrain Air and paid the staff their remaining balance as promised?”
The former employee, who GDN said did not want to name for legal reasons, said the airline’s staff had been “thrown under the bus” as a result of the airline’s closure, the newspaper said, adding that the employee’s case was still progressing through the courts system.
Bahrain Air filed a claim to declare bankruptcy in April 2013 but has yet to receive the final ruling.
The Bahrain Trade Union claimed at the time that about 345 employees were owed about BD2.2 million ($5.8 million).
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