The Immigration Department of Qatar has recently held a total of 127 Nepali workers for refusing to work. Strike by workers is considered a serious offence in Qatar. Foreign workers deported from Qatar for going on strike by halting work are generally deprived of gratuity and other facilities. The arrested Nepali workers have been kept at a deportation centre since January 18. The Immigration Department of Qatar is arranging air tickets for deporting all the arrested workers to Nepal, according to the Nepali embassy in Qatar.

 

"We have been kept inside a jail-like house for almost one week now. We are not allowed to go anywhere else," Madhav Pokharel, one of the workers kept at the deportation centre, told Republica over phone. "Two Qatari policemen are always keeping an eye on us." Pokharel, who hails from Simara-8 of Bara district, reached Qatar in a group of 11 Nepali workers on January 14. 

 

"Once in Qatar, we were told that our basic salaries would not be as much as promised by the manpower agency in Nepal," Pokharel said. "We, therefore, collectively refused to work for almost 200 Qatari riyals less than the promised salary." 

 

A supplier company, which hired Pokharel and other 10 Nepali workers, had already had 116 migrants from Nepal. Some of them had been working for that company for as many as five years.

 

"When we refused to work for low pay, other Nepali workers who were already there also joined us," Pokharel said. "However, instead of listening to our concerns, the company threw us into this house." Pokharel said they had reached Qatar to work as construction workers through Adventure Manpower Company of Sitapaila in Kathmandu. 

 

According to Surya Nath Mishra, Nepal´s ambassador to Qatar, the embassy immediately after the workers stopped work had asked them to sort out problems through talks instead of going on strike. "But they did not listen to our suggestions," Mishra told Republica. 

 

"Had they at least approached the embassy before going on strike, we could have helped them. They would not have to face deportation. We cannot do much at this point as going on strike is a serious offence under Qatari laws," added Mishra.