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Other Indian workers suffer more than IT profs in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 23: While the recent ill-treatment of more than 200 Indian IT professionals in Malaysia during a police raid has created quite an uproar, complaints of exploitation from many less skilled Indian workers here have largely gone unnoticed.
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 23: While the recent ill-treatment of more than 200 Indian IT professionals in Malaysia during a police raid has created quite an uproar, complaints of exploitation from many less skilled Indian workers here have largely gone unnoticed.
The Indian High Commission almost daily receives groups
of Indian workers alleged to have been cheated by their
employers in Malaysia and being duped by their agents in India
into believing well-paid jobs awaited them.
This correspondent this week met 26 Indian nationals -- 21 from Bihar and five from Sikkim -- who were reportedly sent to Malaysia by a Darjeeling-based agency to work in 'gardens' for Razimco Sdn Bhd.
However, they alleged they have not been paid properly for months, have no money to go back or survive here. Worse still, the company has kept their passports, which means they can not leave Malaysia and will be jailed if found by police, said the workers, who have asked the high commission for help.
"All of us have paid between Rs 70,000 to Rs 86,000 to get a job," the workers claimed. Some of them said they were promised a salary of Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000 a month.
Razimco officials were unreachable in spite of several phone calls.
The workers said they came here on August 31 last year and since then have been shunted from one palm oil plantation to another and made to work at a construction site, though they have no training in either. Bureau Report
This correspondent this week met 26 Indian nationals -- 21 from Bihar and five from Sikkim -- who were reportedly sent to Malaysia by a Darjeeling-based agency to work in 'gardens' for Razimco Sdn Bhd.
However, they alleged they have not been paid properly for months, have no money to go back or survive here. Worse still, the company has kept their passports, which means they can not leave Malaysia and will be jailed if found by police, said the workers, who have asked the high commission for help.
"All of us have paid between Rs 70,000 to Rs 86,000 to get a job," the workers claimed. Some of them said they were promised a salary of Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000 a month.
Razimco officials were unreachable in spite of several phone calls.
The workers said they came here on August 31 last year and since then have been shunted from one palm oil plantation to another and made to work at a construction site, though they have no training in either. Bureau Report