Some 300 Indian workers staged a unique silent protest outside the Indian embassy in Oman after being denied wages, food and accommodation for more than three months by their construction company.
The Indian workers, mainly from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, complained that Oman Transport and Contracting Company has not paid them salary for the last three-and-a-half months.
Neither did they have proper accommodation or food, the workers told Times of Oman.
They had to sleep outside their labour camps, which were without power. The workers were on strike since June 11.
They dispersed on Monday after having discussions with embassy officials in Muscat, who promised to take action.
Demonstrations of this kind is rare in the Gulf where the governments do not encourage people taking to the streets.
Last year too, the workers were forced to go on strike for the same reasons. They also went to the labour court then, after which the company was directed to pay the pending salaries. Things soon came back to normal until March this year.
The workers said almost all of them had paid exorbitant amounts starting from Rs 60,000 to recruiting agents for jobs in Oman and were not in a position even to pay interests on loans taken for the same.
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