Indian workers in Oman go without wages for 6 months

Twenty-six Indian construction workers, living without salary for nearly six months in Oman, are patiently waiting for justice as friends and well wishers provide them with sustenance. "We are sitting here without work and have not been paid our wages for over six months," Surender Singh, one of the workers, told Gulf News on Saturday. The 26 workers were hired by Western Transport and Fai International, both owned by the same proprietor in Azaiba district of Muscat. "We did road work as subcontractors but currently there's no work," he said, adding that the sponsor of the company was not paying them for the last six months. "He has been promising but in vain," added Surender, who spoke on behalf of the group. He also alleged that the sponsor had beaten up some of the workers when they approached for wages. "He also abuses workers whenever we ask for money," he added. He said that each of the workers has paid 50,000 Indian rupees to the agent for taking up this job. "Most of us have taken money on interest back home, hoping to make it up by earning here in Oman but now we are not earning and interest is accumulating," said Surender, who has been with the company for over a year. He added that the oldest employee with the company was with them for only two years. He said that all the workers are fed up and keen to go home but the sponsor was not responding. "He keeps changing his mobile numbers and goes incommunicado." "The company did road works in Nizwa and Ibri at a loss and now there's work only in Rusayil," said Jagdar Singh, who has joined the company as a Civil engineer for the last few months. "Even I haven't been paid salary," he said, adding that there were 60 employees with the company and all them were without wages for almost five months. "I will wait for a month or else approach labour court for my pending wages," he said, adding that more workers will have to ask authorities to resolve the problem. Meanwhile, some workers have now approached the Indian embassy to intervene. "Three of the workers had initially approached us but now we realised that the number is bigger and have taken up the matter with the relevant authorities," a spokesperson for the Indian embassy told Gulf News. He said that the sponsor had not even responded to the Labour Department summons, thus the case is now transferred to the Primary Court.