Appealing to the district administration to help bring back their husbands from Saudi Arabia, two women submitted a petition on Monday alleging that their husbands were being forced to work as bonded labourers there after being promised lucrative jobs.
S. Podhumpennu and V. Karthika, both hailing from Kallampatti village in Melur said that since their husbands – daily wage labourers – were struggling to find adequate work, they agreed to the offer of an agent from Chennai who promised them lucrative jobs in Saudi Arabia.
“They were promised a good job and salaries of Rs. 30,000 each. Owing to our financial difficulties, we agreed and my husband Sivakumar, went abroad through the agency eight months back. He told me that they were being forced to do extensive manual work and were also being harassed and treated like bonded labourers,” Ms Podhumpennu said.
The men were promised a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000. Ms. Podhumpennu said that her husband had managed to contact her by phone once and were being forced to work in harsh conditions without any pay.
Ms Karthika further said that her husband P. Jeyaraman had not been given any salary for the last 8 months. “When we approached the agency in Chennai and asked them to bring our husbands back, they said that they will oblige only if we give a written undertaking that we will not ask them for money or the salary which is due,” she said.
Appealing to the district administration, the women asked for their spouses to be rescued and brought back safely. “Even if we agree to the agency and sign on the agreement stating that we want no money from them, we fear that they might harm them there or cheat us,” Ms. Karthika said.
“The agency said they will oblige only if we give a written undertaking that we will not ask them for money or the salary which is due”
