Mangalore, Feb 11: Bringing to the fore problems faced by emigrant workers employed in the Gulf countries, a case has come to light wherein family members of a 26-year-old Mangalore-based youth employed in Qatar complained that he had been denied of his rights and was neglected by the employer following an occupational accident at the workplace.
Speaking to mediapersons at a press conference convened by Dakshina Kannada district DYFI here on Monday, Rufina D'Souza (48) a resident of Ashok Nagar in Mangalore, complained that her son Conard Rachan D'Souza (26), had been taken to Doha in Qatar for employment as a crusher operator in a company called Spice Trading Company in August 2011.
Three months later in November, the family was informed by the employer Gerald D'Mello residing in Doha that Conard had sustained injuries in an occupational accident, and also assured the family that the latter was out of danger and was being looked after with great care.
However, it turned out that the injuries were severe, and Conard had not fully recovered from the same. The family was informed by Conard that he had had been admitted to the hospital as an in-patient for only about 12 days and later discharged. He also confided with his family that he had been neglected by the employer, and was still suffering due to lack of sufficient medical attention and care.
Although he himself had not been told of his condition, he knew that he required further medical treatment and wanted to return to Mangalore. However, the employer Gerald D'Mello refused to provide any compensation or insurance to Conard and also refused to send medical reports or the hospital discharge summary to the family, keeping them in the dark about the condition and extent of his injuries.
“The employer had promised salary of Rs 23,000 in the beginning. However, the pay was reduced to Rs 12,000 after the accident. Now, he has a urinary catheter attached to him from the past 12 months, and is made to do household work for his employer such as cleaning, cooking, etc. We are still in the dark about his exact injuries and medical condition. The employer refuses to send any medical reports, always assuring us that he would take care of my son. We have been waiting for compensation or a solution for over a year, with no outcome. He has also complained of maltreatment from Jeevan and Naveen who are related to his employer,” Rufina D'Souza told media persons.
She said that the entire family had gone through great anguish, mental pain and disappointment due to the ordeal. “The employer Gerald now is pressuring Conard to sign documents forgoing all claims insurance and compensation, in return for merely sending him back here,” she grieved.
DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla said that the organisation had placed requests to the Deputy Commissioner, the district administration, the Indian Embassy in Qatar and also the Foreign Affairs Ministry, but had received no response yet. The authorities concerned or ministers in-charge have not paid a visit to the family till date. It is also the responsibility of the district administration to look into the concerns of workers from the district employed in other countries, but there has been no response, he said.
Conard's aunt Flavy and sisters Rasline and Eunice said that he was not fluent in English and thus was unable to approach any authority for help. “When he left to Doha for employment, he was not even issued any citizen ID card, which was the responsibility of the company he worked in,” they said.
Conard was the family's main source of income. His father Sylvester (61) is unable to work, and mother Rufina is a beedi worker.
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