Kuala Lumpur, Nov 15: The Malaysian Government has ordered a local construction company to pay wages and buy return air tickets for over 40 Indians, who have taken refuge in a church here for a month after being refused employment by the firm. "We have asked the employer Gopis Construction to deposit the air tickets for these employees at the Indian High Commission at Kuala Lumpur urgently and settle their wages," Wahab Salleh, director (International Standard), Ministry of Human Resources, said here.

However, Kadiravelu Vellaisami, the managing director of Gopis Construction said, "The agent in India has promised them work and salary which we have no idea about. For us employees are paid as per their skills."
"Of the 70 people sent by the Indian agent 30 were given a job and paid accordingly, we have nothing to do with the promises made by their agent," he said adding "However, we have agreed to pay for their journey home and will be sending them in batches starting on Tuesday."
A Chennai-based firm had contracted the workers for The Malaysian firm, and allegedly got around Rs 1,10,000 from each to get them a job overseas. However, the promise was not kept, the workers, who were given food and shelter at St Francis Xavier Church in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, near here with the help of Indian High Commission and a labour rights group, said. Bureau Report