Muscat: A pay dispute has forced six expatriate fishermen to escape from Masirah Island, about 445km east of Muscat, and seek refuge at the Indian Embassy in the capital.
The six fishermen from India’s western state of Gujarat spent almost three days plotting their escape from the Island to reach Muscat and are now seeking return passage to their home town Valsad, a coastal town in India’s western region.
The six spent more than 14 hours hiding behind rocks waiting for night before making their way to mainland Oman.
“We hid in cars loaded onto a ferry and escaped to the mainland from where a friend gave us shelter for a day before we took transport from Sur, about 150km east of Muscat, to reach here,” Kalpesh Vinod Koli, one of the six Indian fishermen told Gulf News.
He said that they feared that their sponsor would not let them leave from the island located in the eastern tip of Oman.
“We were highly underpaid so we asked our sponsor to let us leave but he demanded 500 Omani riyals for our freedom,” Koli said, adding that the sponsor, who owns the fishing trawler, was not willing to give them a return ticket.
“We were paid a total of 335 riyals [Dh347] each since we came here to work for him eight months ago,” he informed, adding that the other expatriate fishermen working for the other sponsors were getting almost three times the salary.
“When we asked him to pay more or let us leave, he demanded money,” he revealed, adding that two groups had left the same sponsor in similar circumstances in the last two years.
Yogesh Babu Koli, Gunjan Chotu Patel, Navin Kumar Harilal Mitta, Shantilal Babu Koli, and Dashrat Narain Maachi are the other five fishermen seeking a safe passage out of Oman along with Koli.
The Indian embassy gave them 20 riyals each food allowance. “We were told by the embassy officials that they cannot provide shelter so we are desperately trying to find a place to sleep at night,” Koli said. He added that embassy also expressed helplessness in sending them back as first the Manpower Ministry will have to resolve the issue.
“Our passports as well as Resident Cards are with the sponsor,” he said. He also added that some of them were issued a Resident Card from Sur and others from Sinaw in the eastern region.
“We only want to go back home without any hassles,” he pleaded.
“I have no issue in letting them go,” the sponsor told Gulf News from Masirah.
He said that the six came on a two-year contract and now wanted to leave after eight months as they may have another offer. “If I send them now they would return after two months for another employer,” he explained.
His argument was that since the six wanted to terminate their contract 16 months early, they must bear the cost of the resident card, labour clearance, stamp paper and tickets. “If they agree to pay me 300 riyals per person as the expenses I incurred to get them here and pay for their return ticket to India, I am willing to let them go,” he said.
