August 3: Three men file a petition to district administration stating that they were cheated of Rs. 3.50 lakh by an agent who promised them jobs in Malaysia for a salary of Rs. 30,000. They were sent on tourist visa and they ended up paying a hefty fine.
September 7: Family of P. Udhaya Chandar (33), who died of injuries sustained in a fire accident at his workplace in Dubai, appeals to bring back his body and obtain compensation from employer.
September 8: Family of 32-year-old Javith says that he, along with 18 others from Tamil Nadu, were locked up by his employer in Saudi Arabia and poorly fed.
Kasturi (58), whose hand was chopped off by her Saudi employer, is the latest victim of overseas ordeals. Of late, such complaints and pleas to rescue trapped family members have become common.
Officials say many get lured into the trap set by agents. “They are promised one job but are engaged in another. They are promised of one salary but are paid low. People trust agents and get cheated,” an official of the district administration said.
Regular complaints of this nature also prompted the Collector to issue a press statement two months ago asking people not to fall prey to false promises. It noted that several women were getting jobs as domestic help in Kuwait but were poorly paid with heavy workload and bad work environment. These recent cases have shed light on the working conditions abroad. The family of Javith, a resident of R.N. Palayam, who had left the country to work as a heavy vehicles driver for a water factory in Saudi Arabia, still awaits his return. He, along with 18 others from TN, were locked up by the employer and poorly fed. A video in which the men narrate their tale surfaced on Whatsapp last month.
While they were promised a salary of Rs. 20,000, the management said they would pay only Rs. 7,500. “Eight of the workers have returned to the country, while the 11 are still there. There is no word of my brother’s return,” Javith’s brother Mahaboob Basha said.
Worse was the situation for the family of Udaya Chandar. He was seriously injured in a fire accident at a petro chemical company in Sharjah but the family was not informed about the accident or his condition. Vijayakumar, his brother, said they were informed only after he died on September 4. His body was brought to Vellore on September 8.
The Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited, a government of Tamil Nadu undertaking, has been sending people for jobs in countries such as Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Oman. On an average, at least 300 to 500 persons are recruited through the Corporation.
“We advise the candidates of the necessary measures to be taken when working abroad. We tell them the do’s and don’ts during pre-recruitment training sessions and who to contact in case of problems. We tell them to contact us in case of any grievances,” an officer said.
Indian workers should contact the Indian Embassy in case of problems or the toll free number of the Indian Workers Resource Centre. They can also send email to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.
Nevertheless, officials said that such crucial information is not provided when people go through agents leading to problems.
Kasturi (58), whose hand was chopped off by her Saudi employer, is the latest victim of overseas ordeals
