48 Jharkhand migrants, stranded in Tunisia, return home after CM Hemant Soren's intervention

The migrant workers, with garlands around their necks, upon their arrival in Jharkhand on Friday, (Courtesy: X | @JharkhandCMO)

Migrant workers from Jharkhand, who were allegedly stranded in Tunisia, have safely returned to their home districts after landing in Mumbai, officials said on Saturday.

Shikha Lakra, team leader at the Migrant Control Cell (Jharkhand Labour department), told news agency PTI that all the 48 migrant workers reached their homes on Friday. "They returned in different batches based on their flights from Tunisia to Mumbai and returned to their home districts of Hazaribagh, Giridih and Bokaro by train. The last batch reached Bokaro on Friday," said Lakra.

All the workers had their three months' salary cleared by the employing company, she added.

The migrant workers, who were stranded in the North African nation for over three months without pay, recently shared their plight in a video message. The workers claimed that they were promised proper contracts and fair wages before their departure from Jharkhand but were forced to work for over 12 hours a day without pay.

The video, which circulated widely on social media, caught the attention of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. He immediately directed the Department of Labour, Employment, Training and Skill Development to take swift action.

"The migrants had shared a video narrating their ordeals, and this reached CM Soren. He directed the Labour department to ensure safe arrival of the workers and clearing of their outstanding salaries (nearly Rs 30 lakh), which had led them to face financial hardships," said Lakra.

"We got in touch with the Indian Embassy and relevant agencies and completed the process and travel formalities," she added.

"Following the chief minister's instructions, the Labour department officials met with the workers and learned about their problems in detail at their home districts. The government is now taking steps to cover these workers and their families under various welfare schemes so that they are not forced to migrate," the official said.

Who are the migrant workers?

The workers are residents of three districts of Jharkhand - Hazaribag (19), Giridih (14) and Bokaro (15). They were sent to work for a company named PCL Prem Power Construction Ltd. The workers accused the private firm of misleading them about their employment terms and refusing to release their pending wages.

Due to non-payment of wages for the last 3 months, these workers facing financed crisis and were stranded without any food.

Sikander Ali, a social activist who has been working for the cause of migrant workers, was the first to get in touch with the migrant cell sharing the plights of the workers. "All 48 workers were employed for laying high transmission wires through a Delhi-based private firm which is working under a leading multinational company for the project in Tunisia," he said.

"In the video message the workers have alleged that the company is not paying them wages for the last three months and is also forcing them to work overtime. This is causing them mental stress. They want to return home but are not being allowed by the company. The workers have appealed to the Centre and state government to help them return to their homes," said Ali.