Desperate Plea: Jharkhand Migrants in UAE Face Starvation and Unpaid Wages

Fifteen Indian migrant workers from Jharkhand are stranded in the UAE, battling extreme hardship. These workers, who come from Hazaribagh, Giridih, and Dhanbad districts, are grappling with unpaid wages, lack of food and water, and the threat of homelessness. They are facing dire circumstances due to the non-payment of their wages and lack of access to basic necessities. The company they worked for has failed to pay them for weeks, leading to financial instability and an inability to afford basic provisions. The landlord has threatened to evict them due to unpaid rent. According to Charuman, one of the workers, they were sent to the UAE for electrical work by a company from Hyderabad. The workers are seeking assistance from the Indian government through social media, posting videos pleading for help to return to India. The workers arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2024. The contractor had promised a monthly salary of approximately 1,700 Dirhams (around ₹40,000), but they have not received their salaries for the last three months. The contractor and the supervisor are not responding to the workers’ calls and messages. The workers received very little money from the contractor, which they had to divide between them. Despite the challenges, the workers remain open to seeking work abroad in the future because they believe that foreign companies generally offer better pay, enabling them to save and support their families back home.