11 migrant workers stranded in Oman, MEA urged to bring them back home 

11 migrant workers from India allege that they have been stranded in Oman with their passports confiscated by their employers upon refusing to continue to work round the clock without being paid.

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Mustafa Sheikh, a farmer from West Bengal’s Murshidabad, left for Oman a year back. He was promised a payment for 100 Rial for a 10-hour shift of cleaning roads by the Al Sroor National for Development Limited.

“When we reached, we were first posted in Muscat, where instead of cleaning roads, we were appointed to segregate and load huge quantities of waste generated by domestic housing and shopping malls,” said Mr. Sheikh.

Then Mr. Sheikh and his 10 others, all from West Bengal’s Murshidabad, were allegedly made to work close to 15 hours a day, without being paid for the extra hours. “We were told that we would get additional pay for extra hours and 4 leaves a month, but that did not materialise,” said Sheikh.

Over the call, Sunil Das, another migrant worker, joins Mr. Sheikh. He told The Hindu that after nearly a year of working, they were all transferred to Masirah Island, where they were made to load and unload fish for nearly 22 hours. “We were denied our leaves and if we missed a day, they would deduct 5 Rials for a day of absence,” said Mr. Das.

Adding to them, Chota Murmu, also from Murshidabad, said that while the 11 of them were promised medical cards, they were not given the benefit when they joined work. “If we fell ill, they would deduct our salaries and did not pay us a penny for the medical expenses we had to bear,” said Mr. Murmu.

Theworkers are due four months’ salary, additional pay for their extra hours and at present have been thrown out of their official accommodation.

“On August 26, we asked the employers for our rightful pay and that we did not want to work beyond our contract of working for 10 hours, “ said Mr. Sheikh. On listening to their demands, the employers threatened them that if they stopped working, not only would they lose out on their pay but also be thrown out of their official accommodation, said the workers.

At present, the employers have withheld their passports and have forced them out of their accommodations. “We have been living in the mosques, and eating the leftover food in the restaurants in the area. We just want our salaries and passports so that we can go home,” said Mr. Das.

The workers have appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs through a letter and the Indian Embassy in Oman to rescue them and help them go back home.