Hundreds of Indian workers appeal for help in Oman after not being paid for months

A group of 900 Indian workers have appealed to the country’s Oman embassy and the Ministry of Manpower for help after not being paid for three months, according to reports.

Times of Oman quoted the Indian embassy in the sultanate as confirming it was in talks with authorities on behalf of the works who claim to have not been paid since April.

The workers claim they have been living without pay, proper food and sanitation for the last three months and are worried about infections due to their poor living conditions, according to the publication.

“It’s a breeding ground for infestation. We have not been paid for three months. We are eating only plain white rice,” one worker said.

The embassy confirmed it was in touch with the workers and “trying to do whatever is possible”.

Workers have been told there is uncertainty about how long the case will take to be resolved.

The company failed to attend a meeting called by the Ministry of Manpower to discuss he claims, the publication said.

Oman has been among the worst impacted economies in the Gulf by the decline in oil prices and has cut subsidies and increased costs for government services to boost revenues.

Read: S&P cuts Oman’s credit rating to junk as cheap oil shrinks external reserves

The government plans to introduce a new monitoring system to track employee wages in November that will automatically inform the Ministry of Manpower if salary payments are delayed or reduced.

Read: Oman cracks down on late salary payments