Workers had been told to work from home on Friday following violent clearing of protest camp

Atkins has sent its workers in Bahrain back to work after telling them to stay at home last week after security forces attacked demonstrators on Thursday.

After police used tear gas and fired shotguns to disperse protesters in the capital Manama, the engineer’s 170 staff were asked to stay at home and avoid all but essential travel last Friday.

Atkins’ office was also closed on Sunday, the firm said.

“The safety of our people is always our top priority and as a result our Bahrain office remained closed on Sunday as a precaution,” it stated.

After the army was ordered out of the Manama’s central Pearl Square, protests have resumed and security forces have not killed or injured any more demonstrators.

A spokesperson for Atkins said: “However, by Monday the situation had clearly calmed and we were able to get back to business as normal.

“We continue to monitor events closely and are taking advice from relevant bodies such as the FCO so we can take further action as necessary.”

 

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