NRI commission issues notices on non-payment of salary by Nigeria co

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab NRI Commission on Wednesday issued notices to Union Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the state government on a complaint filed by expatriate Indian workers regarding non-payment of their salaries by Nigeria-based Delta Steel Company for the last 11 months.

The NRI Commission has asked them to submit affidavits by March 21. A full bench of the Commission, comprising its Chairperson Justice Arvind Kumar (retd) and members VK Bhawra and Jagtar Singh, issued notices on a complaint by Preeti Rajvanshi who alleged that her father Naveen Kumar Rajvanshi and 117 others had been employed by Global Steel Holding Ltd in India and posted to work in Delta Steel Company in Warry (Nigeria) in 2005.

The complaint is annexed with another complaint made by 117 India expatriate employees of Delta Steel Company in Nigeria. The complaint had been made to NRI Sabha, Jalandhar which sent it to Commissioner,

COMPLAINANT ALLEGED THAT HER FATHER AND 117 OTHERS WERE EMPLOYED BY GLOBAL STEEL HOLDING LTD IN INDIA AND POSTED TO NIGERIA IN 2005

NRI Affairs, Punjab. The Commissioner in turn forwarded it to the Commission for necessary action.

In the complaint, it was alleged that these employees had not been paid their salaries for about one year and were thus living in pitiable conditions with hardly any food, water or electricity.

The complainants said that there was no provision of medical facilities for such employees and it was not possible for them to return to India in the absence of payment of their salaries and other dues.

She alleged that they had been kept as bonded labour by the company and there was danger to their lives and liberty. It was further alleged that representations made to the Centre and the OIA ministry had proved fruitless.