80 Tamil Nadu workers trapped in Libya

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on September 4, 2010:

CHENNAI: As many as 80 workers from Tamil Nadu have been trapped in two construction sites in southern Libya for the past eight mon ths, and are waiting for the Indian government to rescue them from “suffering under inhuman living conditions”.

Relatives of half-a-dozen such labourers, who managed to return from the sites near Sabha city of the North African country to their native place, have appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene and help bring back the fellow employees — all of whose salaries have “not been paid”.

The workers, including engineers, were sent by two manpower agencies in Chennai and Madurai last December. While six of the 86 workers managed to come back spending their own money, the rest are caught in the two places — Mottai Brack and Shamno.

The Chennai-based manpower agency that sent 36 of the workers denied the charges, and claimed payment. “The August salary will be given by September 10 or 12,” a representative of the agency said.

However, Kannan, who returned from Shamno to Sivaganga, told Express that the work was virtual slavery. “I got leave only after my family sent the air fare of Rs 38,000,” he said.