Beware: Atkins Qatar Forced Overtime Without Pay

For those OFW's looking for a better opportunity which equates to a better company, beware since no matter how good is the reputation of one company if they are harboring a "Bully" and will give you a Line  Manager who will "bully" you to work beyond your contract working hours it's better to work in a small company but  with a decent and professional staffs.

According to one OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) who worked in W.S. Atkins/Faithful+Gould in Qatar, all of his forced overtime with the company was not compensated.

He was force to worked overtime and felt that he was became an object  of slavery since according to him his Line Manager always used the Project Director's namesake ( both Egyptian Nationals) and threaten to eliminate him from the Planning Team if he didn't finish his work in an impossible imposed time. And since he doesn't want to go in his home country as early since he just resigned from his company where he worked for 8 straight years just to grab the opportunity with the consulting firm, he tried to bear the burden of working 12 to 14 hours a day.

The worst part of it, when he filed a complain against his Line Manager for 'bullying', the Operations Manager, Mr. A. Riley and the HR Manager, Ms. L. Williams terminated his service and tells him that he cannot get an NOC since he did not completed his one year contract.

Here's a  screen capture of the  of his overtime works from his JDE entry which the company did not pay not to mention an excess 1 to 2 working hours everyday especially during the month of October and November which was not entered on the JDE since the Line Manager told them to refrain from entering any overtime on their time sheet. But the CCTV record of the company will proved what time they are coming and leaving the office more tahn their contractual working hours.

The first one shows an excess of 4 working hours and the other one an excess  of 8 working hours.

Paging Qatar Labour Law, you can read more detailed story about this, please click HERE!

Faulty Mobile Phone Chargers- What action should be taken?

There have been a number of cases reported recently where components in faulty mobile phone chargers have exploded resulting in fire or electric shock. The international media reported in June this year that a teenager in Australia had suffered an electric shock whilst using a faulty USB charger. Prior to this a 28 year old woman, also in Australia, was fatally electrocuted while talking on a mobile phone connected to a faulty charger

Lessons Learnt 



1. Faulty chargers are becoming more commonplace due to the rise of cheaper ‘unofficial’ products available online or through third party retailers.



2. Not all chargers are fit for purpose and mixing phone types with different chargers supplying different electrical currents is an easy mistake to make.

What action should be taken?



1. Where possible use the mobile phone charger and cable supplied by the manufacturer. Do not try to use a mobile phone charger with a phone that it was not designed for.



2. If replacing a worn or damaged mobile phone charger consider purchasing the new unit directly from the manufacturer.



3. If purchasing a third party mobile phone charger ensure it is approved by the mobile phone manufacturer and purchased from a reputable retailer. In most cases this will also include a CE marking but beware as this can be stamped on any charger by an unscrupulous manufacturer.



4. Unplug mobile chargers when not in use and, especially in the Middle East, ensure the correct type of plug/correct adaptor is used in a 3 pin socket.



5. Where practicable use the manufacturer’s USB charging cable plugged into a laptop or desktop computer as this eliminates the need for an electrical charger.



6. Regularly inspect mobile phone chargers and leads and replace if there are any concerns.



7. Do not use mobile phones whilst they are being charged.

credit: Atkins