Exploited, duped trucker slams brake on dicey job; driver plunges into deep financial Gulf

Narinder Thappa had big dreams.

The Nepali wanted to marry off his two younger sisters, and buy a two-bedroom apartment for himself. His father had retired as a factory worker.Being eldest of the brood of three, the 32-year-old was sandwiched between responsibilities.

Though Narinder was employed as a truck driver, he was struggling to financially support his family. Narinder always wanted to emulate the success of his friends who were drawing fat tax-free salaries in the Persian Gulf. But somehow the Gulf-dream kept eluding him like a mirage.

That, however, changed one day. A Gulf-returned friend informed him of an ongoing recruitment drive for a Gulf country, and gave him a few pointers on the selection process. Armed with the advice, Narinder descended on the office of the recruitment agent, and with that began the preparations.

Everything went off like clockwork for him. He successfully passed the interview, even as the recruitment agent informed him that his visa would be ready within a few weeks.

He then told Narinder that he would have to fork out CAN $ 2,500 as the recruitment fee.Narinder found himself in a quandary as how to raise that kind of money. Being the sole bread winner of the family, he had a measly $200 in savings.

Closing ranks behind him, his family managed to get a bank loan for him. All preparations were done for his journey to the cradle-to-grave welfare state.

Narinder finally bid a tearful farewell to his family, and boarded the flight with a heavy heart.Upon landing in the Gulf country, a feeling of joy blanketed him. He was ecstatic to see the glitzy cars, swanky malls and well-paved roads---a far cry from his home country.

Everything was going on fine until his supervisor informed him that he is being transferred to Iraq as the company had secured a fresh contract there. Narinder offered stiff resistance to the proposal, but was told in no uncertain terms that he would be sent back if he failed to comply. This was in stark violation of his work contract.

Narinder explored every possible channel to highlight his plight but failed in his efforts. With a huge debt to pay off, Narinder had little choice but to take up the dangerous assignment much to his chagrin. Once in Iraq, he was driving his truck near violence-torn Fallujah region when he came under heavy sniper fire.

Narinder managed to dodge the bullets, and drove to safety.Horrified by the ordeal, Narinder told his supervisor that he will not take the wheel again, and soon his supervisor allegedly began harassing him. 

Narinder stuck to his guns and with no solution in sight, he was repatriated last month.His family was devastated, but sympathized with him. He is now sinking in debt and each passing day is piling on his misery.

“This is like a death sentence to me, and my family. I don’t know what I am going to do now.” says crest-fallen Narinder.

Narinder’s is not an isolated case, there are hundreds of instances where gullible workers have been short-changed and forcibly sent to Iraq in violation of labour contracts. Many truckers in Iraq have been killed in sniper attacks or by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Iraqi insurgents often ambush transport vehicles, and take the occupants hostage before demanding huge ransom to secure their release.

With oil prices booming, many Gulf countries are in the grip of construction and this has spawned a demand for foreign workers.There are millions of contract workers from the Subcontinent working in the Gulf in various sectors ranging from construction to oil to cleaning.

Many sell their properties to pay off recruitment fees. Though some Gulf countries have scrapped the sponsorship system, there is still a long way to go in improving the living conditions of the workers.

The most common grouse of the workers is contract violation, and abominable living conditions. Workers who protest are often deported, and with that their dreams are smashed to pieces.