11-jharkhand-workers-rescued-from-cameroon-36-await-return

The Jharkhand government announced on Sunday that 11 of the 47 workers stranded in Cameroon, Central Africa, have returned safely to their home state.

Efforts are underway to ensure the repatriation of the remaining labourers, the state government stated.

The workers had been left in dire straits following allegations of wage non-payment by a Mumbai-based firm and its intermediaries, who had facilitated their employment abroad.

In response, the state government filed FIRs against the accused parties at Hazaribag, Bokaro, and Giridih police stations earlier this month.

“Eleven out of 47 migrant workers from Jharkhand, stranded in Cameroon, were brought to the state as per instructions from Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

All the workers were sent to their homes by the Labour Department. The return of the remaining 36 workers is also being ensured,” a statement from the chief minister's secretariat confirmed.

The workers had drawn the chief minister’s attention to their plight, citing three months of unpaid wages.

Subsequently, the State Migrant Control Room intervened, maintaining contact with the workers and their employers via email and phone.

The concerted effort led to the recovery of outstanding wages totalling ₹39.77 lakh, the statement added.

The employers and middlemen are alleged to have violated the Inter-State Migrant Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, by failing to register the workers or obtain the required licences.

The Labour Department has sought contractual and wage documentation from the employers, while the Ministry of External Affairs has been apprised of the situation to expedite the safe return of the remaining labourers.

Earlier, in July, twenty-seven workers stranded in Cameroon, Central Africa, safely returned to Jharkhand, owing to the proactive efforts of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Acting on Soren's directives, the Department of Labour, Employment, Training, and Skill Development facilitated the workers' repatriation, ensuring their safe return from various companies to their homes.