'Kuwait Company Violated Labour Laws, Took My Passport and Withheld My Salary'

'Soon after I arrived in Kuwait, the company was made to sign a paper – a copy of which was not given to me.'

Aman Bhola, an engineer from New Delhi, moved to Kuwait in April 2023.

(Image altered by The Quint/Vibhushita Singh)

Video Editor: Kriti Saxena

Nobody wants to leave their house and family willfully... there's always some compulsion that forces them to do so.

I came to Kuwait from New Delhi to build my career and support my family back home.

Almost two years later, I find myself caught up in a legal battle with the company I was working with.

In 2023, I shared my CV with a recruitment consultancy in India, which forwarded it to United Engineering Services (UES), an electromechanical services company, in Kuwait. The company took an online interview, and I was selected for the post of Junior Engineer on a salary of KWD200, approximately Rs 56,000 per month.

As soon as I arrived in Kuwait, in April 2023, the company took away my passport, and I was made to sign a paper – a copy of which was not provided to me. 

Also, upon joining the company, I was told that the visa fee would be deducted from my salary every month – something that was not told to me during the process of recruitment.

'The Company Was Flouting Labour Laws'

When I started working, I witnessed that the company was flouting several Kuwaiti labour laws. For example, overtime. The wages for overtime, as per the labour laws, should be 125 percent of the regular wage rate, but they were paying only 65 percent. 

Also, the standard working hours should be 8 hours plus 4 hours of overtime, but they were making us work 8 hours plus 8 hours of overtime.

They made me work overtime with an even lower rate of 45 percent of regular pay.

After I raised these issues with the manager, I was transferred to the company's site at the Ministry of Health and demoted to the position of a foreman. I also saw whoever tried to raise their voice against them couldn't get far because the company neither provides salary slips nor contract papers or attendance. 

'Forced To Resign'

When I started facing health issues, I reached out to the HR manager. They told me to resign and leave. I requested them for the notice period...But the HR misbehaved with me, and when I responded, he pulled my collar, and this was recorded in the office camera. 

When I approached the owner of the company, he gave me another chance to work – this time with the Ministry of Defence at Camp Arifjan, an American military base, in the Kuwait Army.

Meanwhile, I also filed a case at the Public Authority of Manpower of Kuwait in April 2024.

The company's manager called me to the office and asked me to withdraw the case and take my money. I told him, 'It's not about money, it's about right or wrong.'

When I refused their offer, they threatened me with a false case. On 2 May 2024, I was beaten, and forcibly evicted from the company's flat, and a false absconding case was filed against me.

Somehow, I managed to file a police complaint against this act with the help of the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait. I then went to the Indian Embassy and informed them about the issue. They told me that that would take up my case. 

'Please Help Me!'

I am in touch with the Indian Embassy as I proceed with my case against the company. The company wants to settle the matter out of court, but I want to pursue the case and fight for justice for all the wrongdoings they have done to me.

With no salary for over nine months, I am running out of money while trying to survive and fight my case alone in Kuwait. It's my humble request to authorities in India. Please escalate my case with the authorities in Kuwait for justice because I have to prove my innocence.

(The Quint reached out to United Engineering Services for their response on Aman Bhola's allegations. Speaking to us over a phone call, Ashraf Khalaf, the HR Manager, said, "The matter is in court, so we won't be able to comment. The decision in the case will be taken by the court.

The Quint also reached out to the Indian Embassy in Kuwait. Manas Raj Patel, First Secretary (Community Welfare and Labour) at the Embassy of India in Kuwait, informed us in an email, "The company informed us that Aman Bhola has received his salary every month (till March 2024). The company also informed us that he did not work beyond the office hours, and hence, was not eligible for any overtime allowances."

The statement further added,

"The company stated that Aman Bhola was transferred to four different projects, but they continued to receive complaints against him, which included absence without intimation to company management and instigating workers."

Through the Indian Embassy, the company has also conveyed that they are ready to 'repatriate him to India' and 'settle his dues,' but Aman refuses to do so.

The Quint has also reached out Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior in Kuwait. Their responses are awaited. The story would be updated once responses are received.)

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)