UAE Nightmare: Jharkhand Workers Stranded Without Pay, Food, or Shelter

A group of 15 migrant laborers from Jharkhand are trapped in the UAE, facing dire circumstances. These individuals, originating from Hazaribagh, Giridih, and Dhanbad, are experiencing significant difficulties due to the non-payment of their wages and the lack of access to essential provisions. The workers are facing starvation, dehydration, and financial instability. The company, where they were employed, has failed to remit their salaries for several weeks, leaving them unable to cover the costs of basic necessities. The landlord has threatened to evict them from their accommodation due to unpaid rent. Charuman, one of the workers, mentioned that they were deployed to the UAE for electrical work by a Hyderabad-based company. Using social media, the workers have appealed to the Indian government to facilitate their repatriation. The company stopped paying them for the last three months. The workers had arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2024 and have prior work experience in Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. A contractor had promised a monthly salary of approximately 1,700 Dirhams (around ₹40,000), but the promised wages have not been fulfilled. The contractor and the supervisor are not responding to the workers’ attempts to contact them. The workers received a paltry sum from the contractor to share among themselves. Despite their current struggles, the workers are open to continuing their search for overseas employment, as these opportunities typically offer better remuneration, which helps them save money and send remittances back to their families.