Indian workers return home to tell of low food supplies and unpaid wages

A group of about 50 Indian construction workers have returned home after not being paid wages for months and being forced to live by their employer in poor conditions with low food supplies. The workers lived in Muscat for about a year and were not paid wages for at least three months. They had no money to buy food and had to subsist on dry rice meals. They returned home in batches of 10 with the last group reaching India in January. Indian embassy officials worked with a voluntary group to obtain emergency exit papers for the workers and clear penalties for overstaying their visas. The workers had entered Oman on visit visas. Indian authorities and officials in the Gulf regularly issue cautionary messages urging workers to be wary of rogue employment agents and to contact government-registered agencies. But unscrupulous agents prey on workers, entice them to countries in the Gulf on tourist visas and without legal employment contract. Ayyaz Ansari, an electrician from the Indian state of Bihar, said he was among the group who reached Muscat to work in a construction company in December 2021. “We believed the agents and it was the biggest mistake of our lives,” the 22-year-old said in a call. “The first few months were okay and we were paid our salary on time. “Then more people were brought in and our work as electricians got over.” The men were promised 120 Omani rials (Dh1,100/$300) a month. But salaries were cut, payments were delayed and they were made to live in cramped accommodation with about 15 in small room. “We were told we had to do any work on the site, work as masons or do plastering work. “Our salary was always delayed and for the last three months we did not get any money.” With no money left to buy food, the workers reached out to Indian embassy officials in Muscat. They appealed for help on Twitter in October last year and posted a video message saying they were running out of food. “We were in a bad condition in the camp. But we were helpless because many of us paid 80,000 rupees (Dh3,500/$970) to the agent so we needed to make some money. “How could we manage without food? So we had to adjust and borrow food from people in other camps. We usually ate just dry rice. We hid all this from our families because we didn’t want them to worry.” Mr Ansari finally confided in his parents who told him to seek help to get back home. Another worker Mohammad said it had the incident affected the mental health of older workers who were the sole breadwinners. “We worked a lot and all we asked was for our salary,” said Mr Mohammad from Uttar Pradesh state. “There were men who were in their 50s and 60s and they fell into depression because of the tension. “We had to tell them not to lose hope and that we would go home.” The video on Twitter was seen by Rescuing Every Distressed Indian Overseas, a voluntary group that has assisted workers in several countries in the Gulf and the Maldives. The group founded by an Indian diplomat, a Dubai businessman and a social worker has helped more than 250 workers reach home after they were abandoned by fake recruiters. Dhanashree Patil, a former Dubai resident and the group's chief executive, worked with officials from the Indian embassy in Muscat to ensure they returned home. “We were able to help this group of 48 stranded labourers who suffered for months without proper food accommodation and salary in Oman,” Ms Patil said. “But there are so many others who trust companies but these companies lie and promise false wages to labourers, many of whom are illiterate. “They are forced to live in overcrowded labour camps and work without any overtime pay.” She said the skilled and semi-skilled workers were from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. “The main problem is unauthorised agents who place advertisements in Indian newspapers, social media and online portals. “They take the workers on a visit visa and promise this will be converted into an employment visa once they reach the destination country.” The construction workers who back home have urged employment seekers to watch out for fake recruiters and not work while they are on a visit visa. “We worked hard but we have lost a lot of money,” Mr Ansari said. “I took a loan from my family, others took mortgages on their home. We are deeper in debt now. “We have one message to workers like us — don’t leave India on a visit visa. “And if you go abroad on a visit visa, make sure you leave when the visa ends. “Don’t believe agents who try to convince you the company will complete your visa once you start work. “They want to trick you and take your money. “Don't make the same mistake we did.”

Indian workers return home to tell of low food supplies and unpaid wages

Men received assistance from Indian authorities and a voluntary group to get back to their families