Twenty-six of the total 64 Nepali migrants who were stranded in Kuwait after their employer reportedly denied them salary were sent to Nepal on Wednesday.

 

The problem surfaced after the Kathmandu-based Deluxe International Overseas sent the migrant workers to Regional Gate Company, which is blacklisted in Kuwait four months ago, against its agreement to send them to other three companies. Each of them had gone there after paying Rs 150,000 on average to work as driver, welder or mechanic.

 

After they were left in the lurch, the victims had approached the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait, seeking help. “We started a process to repatriate them to Nepal after we found them without visas as well as salaries,” said an embassy official.

 

The migrant workers were returned to Nepal as per an agreement with agent Ram Chandra Subedi and manpower company official Shambhu Tamang, said Labour Attaché Srijana Tiwari. She said the embassy has also written to the Department of Foreign Employment to take action against agent Subedi and the manpower.

 

Eight of the workers who returned to Nepal had taken shelter in the embassy for a week. Of the remaining 38 workers, four were willing to stay in Kuwait and arrangement will be made to help them for employment, the embassy said.

 

Subedi, however, said the problem is not as serious as it was reported and that he has already told the embassy that they will manage air tickets for other workers willing to return to Nepal. The embassy said that the company was blacklisted after 100 Nepali migrants were left in the lurch after it denied them visas earlier.

 

“Legal action was taken against the company after it repeatedly committed mistakes. I also apprised the Labour Ministry officials in Kuwait about the matter,” Tiwari said.