Striking Salalah Workers Forcibly Removed from Indian Embassy Premises
Similarly fifty years old Gopala Pillai, another worker of United Contracting Company, Salalah died of cancer in Kerala ten days after he was send home for further treatment. The Sultan Qaboos Hospital diagnosed his disease and recommended further treatment in Kerala. However, the United Contractors was reluctant to send him for treatment as the Indian "manager" and Omani owner considered the diseases theory as "yet another pretext to go home"! Well the Indian worker died ten days after reaching Kerala and his salary is still pending with United Contracting company owned by a big Omani businessman. His hospital bill was paid from his pending salary! Venu Attingal from Trivandrum, like his colleagues, has worked fifteen years had his last vacation four years back.More
Sixty Workers Accommodated in a New Posh Villa
MUSCAT - Sixty Workers of Socat Muscat, a group company of Zubair Enterprises, had a sigh of relief when the management offered them a new accommodation with sufficient toilet facilities following a report in keralamonitor.com about their plight. It may be recalled that the Zubair group Company used to huddle sixty workers in a single villa in the Wattaya area. Workers could not attend to call of nature or pass urine peacefully. Keralamonitor.com is still a small medium, but some of our stories are yielding the desired results. That is the greatest recognition. Our journalist friends in the local media shut their eyes and ears towards the grave problems facing the man on street. Thank you Omanforum.com for starting a healthy discussion on the topic- Editor. -- See our story below filed last week.
March 4, 2004
Kairali Channel Joins Hate Campaign Against Kerala Monitor
Comrade P M Jabir claims KM is a communal portal
News channel reporter replaces new monitor in maligning KM editor
Kairali Channel, one of the most popular Malayalam news channels from Kerala, has accused Keralamonitor.com (KM) of being a "communal website" spreading negative reports about the fate of 55 Indian workers who are denied basic right by the Arab employer. The Kairali TV reporter from Muscat Mr. P M Jabir, who had no other option but to correct his earlier misleading report glorifying the Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed and embassy officials about the fate of 55 Indian workers stranded in front of the Indian Embassy in Muscat, was trying in an irresponsible way to settle a personal grudge using the channel and thus divert public attention from his close links to the business tycoons who have been disturbed by KM. Mr. Jabbir made a partisan, unwarranted and perverted comment that Gulf Malayalis are concerned that a " website run by a communal association" in Muscat is giving misleading reports. Even if the channel has not named the website, the report is clearly about Keralamonitor.com and the reference is about KM report. More
KM Special Report.Indian Ambassador prevents Social organizations from giving food and water to stranded Indian Workers.
Workers Cant Drink Embassy Water ; Have to leave with just a ticket: Kairali Channel Workers Channel hails the Ambassador for Sending Workers Home Empty Handed
MUSCAT - The fate of 55 Indian workers who are stranded in front of the Indian Embassy building here continues to remain bleak, as the embassy officials have failed to get any of their problems resolved. According to the workers, instead of lending a helping hand to the poor workers who are facing a grave situation in foreign country, the senior Indian embassy officials including the high profile Indian ambassador Talmiz Ahmed are allegedly acting in an inhuman and barbarian manner by preventing them from taking even a drop of drinking water from the embassy premises and not allowing social organizations to giving food, water or other support to them. Even though the embassy collects a fund from the public for workers welfare, nothing is given to the Indian workers. Workers also alleged that the senior embassy officials called the police to harass workers. But even the police officials felt sympathy for them. Workers allege that such actions are being taken by the embassy to help the local employer avoid payment of salary. More
Elite Ambassador - off the people; Buy the People - Far the people
India is a country of Daridranarayanans (poor people) and the diplomatic missions abroad are expected to work for them. However, the Indian Ambaassador in Muscat seems to be a different man altogether. Almost all the former ambassadors used to invite elite and ordinary members of the Indian community to participate in the customary republic day celeberations held in India House, a palace like villa. More
Sixty Workers of leading business Group Company have only one Bathroom!
About 60 Indian workers who are working for a leading business group in Oman are facing a difficult time in passing urine or attending to the call of nature because the "company accommodation" has only one bathroom. While many construction companies are notorious for denying basic facilities to their workers, the 1 for 58 forumula seems to be a new equation of cutting expenses and punishing workers! - Watch this space for the detailed report about Socat Camp in Wattaya. Senior officials of the company monopolise 2 bathrooms. Workers are engaged in plugging the loophole of another bathroom which they used earlier. Thanks to Oman's New Progressive Labour Rule and the Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmeds concern for the workers right..
March 6, 2003
E. Ahmed has helped many Gulf Malayali Workers
E.Ahmed, prominent Muslim League Member of Parliament from Kerala, has intervened to solve a number of labour problems from Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, claimed a spokesman of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC). Reacting to KM report about the Member of Parliament taking up the issue of labour problem in the Indian Parliement, he said the M.P. only took up the matter, which was referred to him by KMCC Muscat Branch. There was no other reason for taking up the matter in Indian Parliament, the KMCC claimed. "The report is baseless," he added.More
March 5, 2003
MP's New Love Affair with Workers in the Gulf
New Delhi -A leading Member of Parliement (M.P.)from Kerala E.Ahmed has recently raised a hue and cry about the problems of a group of workers in Muscat on the basis of a report filed by a Gulf newspaper. While the Gulf media wrote several such reports to help ordinary workers, did the MP or their associates take up the matter in Indian Parliament? More
Striking Salalah Workers Forcibly Removed from Indian Embassy Premises
Ffifty years old Gopala Pillai, another worker of United Contracting Company, Salalah died of cancer in Kerala ten days after he was send home for further treatment. The Sultan Qaboos Hospital diagnosed his disease and recommended further treatment in Kerala. However, the United Contractors was reluctant to send him for treatment as the Indian "manager" and Omani owner considered the diseases theory as "yet another pretext to go home"! Well the Indian worker died ten days after reaching Kerala and his salary is still pending with United Contracting company owned by a big Omani businessman. His hospital bill was paid from his pending salary! Venu Attingal from Trivandrum, like his colleagues, has worked fifteen years had his last vacation four years back.Full Report
January 14, 2003
Haifa Construction Workers Strike Work, Black Cat Enter to Prevent Demonstration.
Hundreds of construction workers in Oman took to the streets in protest against non payment of salary by a company for six months. More than three hundred workers of Haifa Construction, a leading construction firm here, have been stopped by the law enforcement authorities from striking work and staging protest marches through the streets in the industrial area of Ghala. More than 100 black cats from the law enforcement authorities cardoned off the area and confined the workers to a particular place. More
Elco Employees get One Month Salary, Malayali subcontractor blamed for the problem.
Malayali Workers threatened to commit suicide in Elco Premises
Fifty Indian workers who were brought to Muscat by Ms. J.V. International to work for Elco Industrial and Trading Company had a temporary relief because the company agreed to pay one months salary today. Some of the workers said they will commit suicide in front of the company, if they are not send to India or their payment is made. Nobody was coming forward to help the workers, who have been living a difficult life for the last several months. More
January 13, 2004
TWO FACES OF NRIs .... FROM FOREIGN PRISONS
From Saudi Arabia : Tearful homecoming of Gulf expatriates
KOCHI, JAN. 10. When the Boeing 777-300 of Emirates landed at Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, this morning, there were quite a few onlookers at the airport curious to see Boeing's most advanced aircraft as well as its 340-odd passengers. Their curiosity must have grown as a group of haggard-looking passengers got off the aircraft and walked towards the emigration counters, reported the Hindu Newspaper.There were a 100 of them on the flight - all of them deportees from the Gulf. They had languished in the jails of Saudi Arabia for quite some time. And most of them belonged to the northern districts of Kerala. More
Indian takes Lucent Technologies to Court for violating Labour Rules
A leading American company which has produced Nobel Prize winners and major scientific advances, has been taken to the labour court by a keralite in Saudi Arabia and in the US for violating Saudi regulations The litigants include, among others, Vikraman Nannoo, an Indian national, who was fired when he protested some of Lucent's policies. Earlier last year, National Group of Communications and Computers Ltd (NGC), a Saudi company, filed a civil lawsuit against Lucent Technologies. NGC currently operates as Silki La Silki Telecommunications Company. More
MONITOR SPECIALREPORTS
Talmiz Ahmed Acts on Behalf of Indian Workers
MUSCAT - The Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed has lashed out at seven Omani companies which cause undue delay in payment to Indian workers for several months, creating a horrible living condition for them. At a hurriedly convened press conference on Wednesday, the ambassador released the name of leading companies like Desert Palm (is it owned and managed by a member of the Khimji family - related to the Pravasi Bharathi Award winner last year??), Modern Construction (managed by another prominent Indian?), Universal Garments, Hallaf Trading, Darsait Heights and Dalma Trading. About 300 workers of these companies have been pestering the Indian embassy seeking justice. KM appreciates the humanitarian gesture shown by Talmiz Ahmed and his team of diplomats in trying to highlight the issue. Paradoxically enough, leading regional newspapers did not carry the report for unknown reasons. Reflecting the systemic bias of the local media towards workers problems, the two local English dailies jointly "censored" the sensitive statement of the ambassador for unknown reasons. The media is supposed to be a watchdog but journalists here dont have the value of even dogs. Even the expatriate friendly paper has censored the news about the man on street.
Ambassador Lashes Out At Haifa for Non Payment of Salary, but appoints the company General Manager as Indian School Darsait President!
It looks awkward that the Indian Ambassador who has severely criticised Haifa Constructin for non payment of salary has simultaneously honoured the company's General Manager by appointing him as the President of a leading Indian community school in Oman. It is public knowledge that the problem facing hundreds of Haifa Construction workers has been pending with the Indian Embassy and the labour court for several months. At one time, the workers had manhandled senior company staff for failing to fulfil their commitment to make payment or settle their dues. Knowing fully the situation, the Indian Embassy has in fact "honoured" Mr.George Mathew, General Manager Haifa Construction by appointing him to a prestigious position of responsibility. Is that not a double standard on the part of the Indian Embassy and the ambassador? . KM does not blame the General Manager for the company's problems or its payment problem. However, we feel ashamed that such facts are totally neglected by a senior diplomat while taking crucial decisions. The new board of Indian school is filled with representatives of a particular class or group. This is not non interference as loudly claimed by the ambassador.
Tanmia urges UAE national youth to prepare themselves to face a competitive world
December 23, 2003 The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) has urged the national youth to prepare themselves to face the challenges of the competitive world by acquiring skills that will help them contribute to social and economic development of the UAE. More
Worker Die in Depression as Company Owners delay and deny Salary for Months
MUSCAT - Fifty years old Rajendran Pillai (from Kottiyam in Kollam Kerala) had a tragic end while sleeping in a make to shift labour camp of Bogest Company in the Ghala Industrial area, Oman. The worker died after serving a company as a mason for nine long years. The death is assumed to be due to a heart attack while he was in deep sleep. Three other workers were also sleeping in the same room. ""Rajendran died sometimes in the night after he went to sleep with mental depression.He has hree girls, two of them married off with the money earned in Gulf," said one of his co-workers.
New Law on staff salaries in Kuwait
The Kuwait Ministry of Social Work and Labour has started to implement the new law on staff salaries for employees in the private sector. It has been announced that, from March 1, the ministry will not process administrative papers for private companies, unless they produce evidence that staff salaries are being paid into bank accounts. It will be recalled that the ministry had previously given the private sector a three months notice to prepare for implementing this directive.More
Did the business lobby play any role in organising workers in front of the Indian embassy on the first day of the new ambassador?
It is rumoured that some vested interest were behind organising the workers of 3 companies simultaneously in front of the Embassy to put across a point that the former ambassador was inefficient in handling labour issues. It may be noted that a leading Member of Parliament (with clear interest in school business) had raised a hue and cry about the labour problems in Oman and the embassy's inefficiency. It is an unprecedented event in the history of Indian Embassy that workers of three companies gathered together on a particular day when the new ambassador took charge. One of the reasons for the premature transfer of Meena was his questioning the role of a politicians son to continue in school committee. The lobbying is continuing and the new ambassador, please take note of this. Workers have a genuine problem, but let others not utilise them for their vested gameplans.
