Turkish construction firm Summa which was contracted to expedite the completion of the Kigali Convention Centre is in the spotlight following accusations of labour rights abuses by over 250 workers.

The workers, who last Wednesday stormed the offices of the engineering firm demanding to see the top managers, are appealing to President Paul Kagame to intervene because they have not received any help from the various government agencies concerned.

The workers say they worked day and night to complete the multi-million facility in time for the 27th African Union Summit, which took place on July 10-18 in Kigali.

“We worked day and night, most of us worked over time, but all this was not put into consideration. We were forced to sign contracts before reading the terms and we were not given copies,” said Janvier Habarurema on behalf of the workers.

The workers say they were threatened, beaten and summarily dismissed when they asked about contracts, overtime or benefits or questioned the amount of money deposited in their accounts which was less than the agreed salary.

On Wednesday, 266 workers gathered at the Turkish firm’s offices in Kimihurura. Rwanda Today requests to speak to Summa management were turned down.
“We are sorry Summa can’t speak to you now. Please talk to the Ministry of Labour and Public Service because it is aware of this issue and it is being handled,” a translator working for Summa said.

The translator further said that there was a meeting going on between Summa and two officials from the ministry to settle the dispute. “The issue is being handled and the outcome will be communicated,” the translator said, adding that Summa does not wish to address the matter through the media.

A security guard further said that there is a directive not to allow journalists to access the premises of the construction firm. An e-mail sent to the company’s headquarters in Turkey is yet to be answered.

However, the workers say officials from Gasabo district and the Ministry of Labour have failed to address the matter, alleging that they are siding with the Turkish firm. They are particularly accusing the labour supervisor at Gasabo district, Damascene Gakuba of working in cahoots with Summa.

“He said he does not want to speak to us. That he will directly talk to Summa. How will he understand our problems?” wondered Solomon Ndushabandi, one of the affected workers. “Only President Kagame can address this injustice,” he added.

Among the claims, is that they worked on all public holidays, including the Genocide commemoration week, but they were not paid for that or given their leave days as the law dictates.

“Many of our colleagues were summarily and wrongfully dismissed for asking for their rights and since they keep the contracts, you don’t have anywhere to complain. They ask security not to allow you into the premises,” another worker said.

Minister aware

Some of the labourers said that they were tortured or physically assaulted by the Turkish supervisors as the firm came under pressure from the government to complete the building. Some displayed fingers mangled by machines and other body parts injured during the construction.

“One of our colleagues was almost buried by a bulldozer. He sustained life threatening injuries and is still recovering and will probably be disabled forever,” they said.
The workers want the government to intervene and resolve their matter. They say their case is complicated by the fact that Summa kept all the contracts which they claim to have “forcefully” signed because they desperately needed jobs.

The Minister of Labour and Public Service Judith Uwizeye said that she is aware of the dispute between the firm and its workers and says she has personally dispatched people from the Ministry to look into the matter.

However, she dismissed claims that the Turkish firm intentionally abused the rights of its workers or wants to rip them off as they allege, stating that the issues are mainly contractual in nature.

“The problem is that all of them want to come in one group to make the issue look big but when you assess, there are some who actually don’t have a case,” she said. “So we have decided to handle this case by case. Our staff are calling each person and together with Summa staff they assess the contract and the benefits and then agree on each individual case,” Ms Uwizeye said.

The Turkish firm Summa took over the construction of the $300 million (Rwf229 billion) Kigali Convention Centre, which also houses the five Star Radisson Blu Hotel, in 2015, after Chinese engineering firm Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) was kicked out.

The firm is winding up its operations in Rwanda, however this is not the first time Summa has come under the spotlight. When it began its operations in Rwanda, it was accused by the Engineers Association in Rwanda of “importing” labour which could be easily obtained in Rwanda.

Summa brought its own engineers and other technicians from Turkey, limiting Rwandans to lesser positions. The firm employed over 1,700 workers with an estimated 500 coming from Turkey.