Warning FUTURE ENGINEERING W.L.L. bad company
Dear John-Paul,
I got home last week and have had time to reflect on my experiences at Future Engineering Company W.L.L. (FEC) and feel that Mr. Saeed the co-owner has got off rather too lightly for what he actually put me through after his promise of paradise, and I don’t intend to let this happen to anyone else, for all the things that I witnessed and went on behind the scenes to make my life and that of his workforce HELL, whilst working for this company.
I thought I would let you know that it is my intention as the ex workshop manager to report him and his company to the relevant authorities here in the UK, in Qatar and all the countries that he recruits labour from for his total mistreating of me and most importantly his current workforce who are still forced to endure what I actually managed to escape.
I am also thinking of circulating my experiences the media here in the UK. I myself was treat like nothing short of an animal after being promised paradise.
I also feel that the English version of my contract was not adhered to and the rules where made up to suit. I cannot speak for the version in Arabic, as I was not allowed to have it translated when I asked and was assured it was exactly the same as the English version.
I feel I need to air my grievances to highlight all aspects of why I am highly upset and why I intend to go forward to the relevant authorities here in the UK and Countries where labour is sourced for this company, this hopefully shall prevent any further mistreatment and breaches of basic human rights by getting this employer on some kind of blacklists if they exist.
I am also highly upset to see this vacancy advertised again by PROTEC.
I would advise that for your own conscience do not send other clients or deal with this company again and seek action to recover your costs incurred.
Although I have seen this vacancy advertised again and would advise on not sending anyone else to endure this.
I would like to add that on a whole Qatar is a most wonderful country and my experiences outside of work where some of the best I have ever had and am ever likely to have
I intend to seek to be recompensed for personal losses and entitlements to expenses for food, transport and time stolen from me by (FEC) which are listed below.
As the food was totally un-edible and I couldn’t cook in the conditions (see pictures) and no utensils where provided, I had to buy my own QAR15 per day @ 80 days = QAR 1800
As transport was never provided after work and a car was never provided as promised Taxis had to be used to do basic things. QAR 60 per day @ 80 days = 4800
I was forced to pay my own qualification attestation at QAR 2200
When it was mutually agreed that I would leave I was told that I could have 2 days gardening leave which was deducted QAR 1000 per day @ QAR 2000
I also had 2800 deducted from my salary for driving lessons and test which I was not informed about.
This totals QAR 10800
My feelings are that this should be double for what I endured
I never actually received a full salary after all the deductions, if I worked till 10 PM at night I was not compensated but if I left only one hour early, money was deducted.
On the next pages are my main reasons for tendering my resignation, which are mainly my living conditions.
Also I feel that Mr. Saeed deliberately took some kind of perverse pleasure in making my life and the life of others difficult and that he also had a big hand in slowing down all of my resident permit (RP) and driving procedures.
I passed the Qatari driving test whilst I was there (15/12/2013) and was promised a car. I was then told that I had to wait until I had my RP was ready until they would issue my driving license.
I found out myself on my last day that a temporary license could have been issued straight after my test. Which I actually purchased to prove this (See Picture)
I was picked up at the airport and dropped off at the villa to find I was not living alone as suggested, but in the middle of a badly run down poor Indian and Filipino workers compound, The villa absolutely stank and was crawling with insects, which I later found out to be cockroaches.
The villa was equipped with absolutely filthy, torn, stained and mismatched furniture and what looked like the remains of last nights supper was left on the table crawling with insects.
The P.R.O. then left me there without a clue where I was with no form of contact and no safe water to drink.
I wasn’t sure if I could drink the water and didn’t know where to get this and there was not even a kettle to boil water to make it safe, I ventured out of the villa to find that I was basically in the middle of nowhere.
So I had a look round the villa to find this cooker which I was not sure if it was gas safe or not and the disgusting hygiene standards (I decided to take a photo below) My thoughts where “Oh my god what have I let myself in for”
The Kitchen was lacking in everything basic, there where no knives and forks, no cups, no kettle. I opened the fridge to discover even more cockroaches inside.
I took a further look at my room and realised there was no hot water in my bathroom. (This remained the same throughout my stay even with several reminders).
The shower was hanging off the wall and the toilet was leaking from the bottom onto the floor and there was no plug in the sink. It stank of ammonia.
The bedroom was the most basic with a small table a wardrobe and a bed with linen that was too small, there where also no curtains and this stank also.
The room was shaded most of the time and was freezing, when I asked for a heater I was refused.
To add to this is was expected to try and eat slops for my food from a rusty metal plate with no cutlery provided (see photo) this consisted mainly of curried bones or a fish head and rice which are totally unacceptable to a western pallet and in fact I spent my first week poorly after eating this and took a day off which I wasn’t paid for and I was treat like a liar.
Thus I spent a fortune on food, transport and going to get food as the nearest shop was at least 2 miles.
Transport was promised in my contract. Which was often a filthy pick up truck with a driver who didn’t speak a word of English and on most occasions got hopelessly lost (I believe you experienced this John-Paul)
I was often left waiting for an hour for transport after I finished work.
I complained about some of the above on my first meeting with Mr. Saeed and was assured this was only temporary.
Two months later I was invited into the office with Mr. Saeed to discuss my progress with my six monthly targets which he indicated he was not happy with, I reminded him again about my living situation and told him I wasn’t happy and asked him what he wanted me to do, I was told that he thought I should leave, to which I agreed as I could no longer live and work in these conditions and no compromise at all was offered.
I could actually go into the way I was treat in the workplace with Mr. Saeed shouting and being unreasonable towards me and others on several occasions and the fact that a normal day was started with Mr. Saeed actually spending his first two hours shouting and screaming at his managers and undermining any good work which they thought they had done and making them feel worthless.
This only really scratches the surface of a terrible 80 days working and being involved with FEC I have many more photo’s and evidence to prove my point as I made a point of keeping my camera in my pocket at all times.
I am could also mention the total disregard for safety and the workers in the workplace and my worries that somebody will be killed, one prime example is a lathe machine where no safety stop switch is evident and the isolator is about 6 feet away from the machine.
The operator was injured whilst I was there, this was after I recommended repairs which fell on deaf ears.
On a positive note I did manage to get 100% conformity on an internal audit before I left (the previous one had 4 non conformity reports logged) I also put FEC in contact with one of the top 10 biggest engineering companies in the world and believe they are starting to work together.
I look forward to your response on these matters and really hope no other British citizen or human being should ever have to endure these conditions.
I was senior management so you can imagine how the lower workers were treat. Fortunately I have feelings and treat the workers well fro the time I was there.
It is senior mangement who are exploiting their own workers ......
Wed, 12.02.2014, 09.05 hrs ....
Problems like this are sadly very common in Qatar. Part of the problem is that companies can treat workers very poorly because the rules about NOCs, exit permits etc make it too hard to for good workers to move to good employers. The other part of the problem is that the government is showing no enthusiasm at all to embrace the labor laws that are just normal in basically every other country in the world.
Until this happens Qatar will never achieve its potential because bad companies will continue to chase away good workers.
Kazim & Mubb, .... Qatar is a most wonderful country { minus FEC & Mr Saeed } as per OP ....
Wed, 12.02.2014, 08.37 hrs ....
Feels sad to hear all this. Yes, Qatar is one of the worst countries in Middle east to work in. They are aiming high on the behest of the lives of the expat employees working there. FIFA should take strict actions and make sure the rights of th employees are not compromised irrespective of the sector. I have worked in DUbai, and other GCC Countries and yes i agree with Kazim, Qatar is one of the worst in terms of employment.
Feel sorry but Except reputed companies or European management companies all companies are like this , I am a civil engg I worked before Dubai, Saudi , oman n now in Qatar believe me I feel Qatar is not friendly for employee we feel like a slave ...........