Hundreds including Sri Lankans join strike in Qatar

Hundrends of Asian workers including Sri Lankans stayed away from work in Qatar as a mark of protest to demand higher salaries to meet the rising cost of living in Qatar.

The workers who belong to a construction company said that they were paid salaries on time but their "wages are so poor that it is hard to make both ends meet, leave alone sending money home".

They also said that their salaries were in the range of QR 550-600 a month and they had to meet all their expenses, including food, from this amount.

The embassies of Nepal and Sri Lanka said that nobody had approached them with any complaint or plea for intervention in any major labour dispute during the day.

A Sri Lankan mission spokesman said: "If workers sought our help, we will intervene. However, until (Monday) afternoon, no one has approached the embassy."