Abu Dhabi: While a number of amnesty seekers contend that their passports have been held by their sponsors, there are many illegal workers who managed to retain their passports after absconding.
K. Singh, 27, an illegal worker from the Indian state of Punjab said he retained the passport when he absconded from a construction company in Abu Dhabi.
"When I was not paid the promised salary I was sure that I would not continue in the company. I was promised Dh700 a month but got only Dh350.
"I was able to continue for two years because food and accommodation were comfortable. When I complained about salary, the employer gave me an increment of Dh50.
"I was tempted to abscond when some of my colleagues did so after two years but I decided to wait patiently until the visa was renewed after three years.
"As soon as the visa was renewed, I went on vacation and did not rejoin the company after coming back to the UAE," said Singh.
He said he was able to earn about Dh1,000 a month doing odd jobs.
He is proud that he did not need to knock on doors to get his passport back from his sponsor as his friends did.
"My friends who absconded from the company had to try for the past two months to get their passports back. I had anticipated it earlier so I did not abscond with them," said a smiling Singh.
R. Prasad, 38, an illegal worker from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, said that he worked for a construction company in Abu Dhabi for six years and absconded after a vacation when his visa was renewed a second time.
Singh and Prasad are not sure whether their companies had filed a complaint against them at the Ministry of Labour and are not aware of its consequences.
But the UAE authorities have made it clear that workers who had been reported as absconders would face a life ban.
Meanwhile, Asian embassies revealed that tough steps taken by the Ministry of Labour have prompted sponsors to return passports of absconding labourers.
A senior official of the Bangladesh Embassy said some sponsors visited the embassy and handed over the passports to the officials.
Mohammad Nabavi Junaid, Sri Lankan Ambassador, said most of the sponsors have gone on vacation so illegal workers face a problem getting their passports.
