Stranded Nepali workers to be taken back to work

An agreement has been reached for the same between the foreign employment agency and the relatives of the workers in Kathmandu, after the issue came to light in the media .

As per the agreement, the workers will be getting salary and other facilities as promised in the earlier contract with release of due payment, while those willing to return home will be provided air tickets from the company.

The Employment Services and Empower Services in Mitrapark, Kathmandu are accountable to enforcing the agreement in Saudi Arabia. However, the concerned workers are still not happy with the agreement, according to Buna Biswakarma of the Safe Migration Information Centre in Diktel.

The Embassy needs to assure us before we resume work, as we had fulfilled all due process to arrive here, Sheshan Shrestha of Jalapa in Khotang said over telephone from Saudi Arabia. The workers have been left stranded in Damam of Saudi for the past one month.

They were working for an advertising company in Sonmar Almamalakha of Saudi Arabia and stopped going to work after they were not paid. However, in mid-July earlier this year, they were forcibly evicted from their quarters and left stranded in an isolated place. All the 38 workers had gone to Saudi Arabia together from the same employment agency.

After the incident, their relatives in Nepal filed a case at the Department of Foreign Employment with free legal aid from People’s Forum under the SAMI project in Kathmandu. The DoFE then coordinated to forge the agreement between the employment agent and the relatives of the workers.