The Jharkhand Labor Department, with the help of the Indian Embassy, has contacted 48 migrant workers from the state who are stranded in Tunisia, North Africa. According to Friday officials, the process of verifying their documents is underway. The workers claimed that they had been surviving without pay for four months and had no money even to buy food.
Shikha Lakra, Team Leader of the Migrant Control Cell under the Jharkhand Labor Department, said that on the orders of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, they have been able to contact the stranded migrant workers and are coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Tunisia, according to PTI.
“We have spoken to the migrant workers who are said to be stuck with a private firm in Tunisia and are verifying their documents. We are also in touch with the officials of the Indian Embassy in Tunisia to ensure their safe return to their native places,” Lakra said.
What did the workers say?
According to NDTV, the worker in the video call said, “We were told that we were employed by the company and that we would get our contract documents when we arrived at the job site. When we arrived, we found that it was a contract job and there were no contract documents.”
The worker alleged that a private firm based in Gurugram had promised an eight-hour work day, but they are forced to work around 12 hours a day. “If we ask for payment, we are at risk of being jailed and unable to return to India,” the worker mentioned in the video, which also showed other workers from Giridih, Hazaribagh and Bokaro districts, according to the NDTV report.
Among the 48 stranded workers are 19 from Hazaribagh, 14 from Giridih and 15 from Bokaro districts of Jharkhand.
Sikander Ali, a social activist advocating for migrant workers and the first to contact the migration cell about their situation in Tunisia, spoke of their plight. “In a video message, the workers alleged that the company is forcing them to work overtime. This is causing them mental stress. They want to return home but the company is not allowing them. The workers have appealed to the Center and the state government to help them return to their homes,” PTI quoted Ali as saying.
Meanwhile, while taking note of the situation of the migrant workers, Soren went to X on Friday and instructed the Deputy Commissioners of the three districts, Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Giridih, to facilitate the safe return of the workers.
