Nepalese workers lament ‘miserable conditions’ after dismissals

Letter sent by the concerned Nepalese citizen

A representative for Nepalese workers who are currently stranded in Macau contacted the Times seeking help for his fellow compatriots, stating that they had been unable to receive help from their consulate or from their former employers in Macau.
According to the representative, other Nepalese workers have been providing them with food and accommodation. However, after several months of living in such conditions, they are now in a critical situation.
The Consulate General of Nepal in Hong Kong have said in response to a Times inquiry that the consulate is aware of the group of about 60 Nepalese nationals who are currently stranded in Macau after having lost their jobs and without means to return to Nepal due to border restrictions.
The consulate also said it was aware that these Nepalese workers wished to return home, but refuted the idea that they were in a critical situation, saying, “the severe condition is not as you mentioned.”
The same diplomatic mission added that their efforts include contacting a local association that is coordinating the provision of assistance and collecting information.
“The consulate has requested and coordinated with non-resident Nepali Association Macao which provides infrequent assistance to collect data, to provide assistance [of any kind] and cooperate with [workers] since the pandemic began and the Government of Macau restricted even us to enter Macau,” the Consul, Kiran Kumar Gurung said.
“The Consulate has begun to collect all the information for the repatriation since the Government of Nepal decided to repatriate some of the Nepalis who are in utmost need,” he added.
The consulate also called on all Nepalese nationals seeking repatriation to complete the designated form created by the consulate and accessible via the link: http://cgnhongkong.hk.mikecrm.com/Q09FxA6.
In a letter sent to the Times by fax, the workers’ representative noted that from the group of about 60 people, some had been laid off, while “a few have resigned from their jobs” in agreement with the companies.
“Since we have lost our jobs, there has been no assistance or inquiry into our situation [regarding food and accommodation],” he told the Times. He further added, “What I personally feel is the respective companies have to work collectively to ensure the safety and respectful return of the workers in the same way that they brought us here with so much enthusiasm and care.”
According to the representative, under current circumstances, this is not occurring, with companies finding reasons amid the Covid-19 outbreak to dismiss workers while failing to ensure the health and safety for those left stranded.
“Unfortunately, the companies have failed to ensure healthy and safe conditions of stay, leaving the stranded Nepali in miserable conditions on their own.”
He also told the Times that all the stranded people were working in the security sector, with most of them at two local gaming operators. At the moment, the vast majority of them are sharing a single apartment.
“The situation is really terrible right now,” he said. He called on former employers to step up and find a solution similar to what was reported in mid-May, when Melco Resorts & Entertainment chartered a special flight from Macau to Manila to transport some of its workers back to their homeland.
Late last week, TDM Radio reported that another gaming operator, Sands China Ltd., was also arranging chartered flights for some 130 Filipino workers that had been stranded in the city due to the pandemic, although the report has not yet been confirmed by the company.
“We feel that we are being somewhat discriminated [against]. If companies can organize flights for the Filipino workers to go back, why can’t they do the same for us, too?” the representative of the Nepalese workers’ group told the Times in a phone conversation. “We just want to go home,” he said, adding that the purpose of his letter was to request a safe stay and a smooth return home for Nepalese workers from all departments and agencies concerned.
The Times has also reached out for comments from the companies said to be former employers to seek further information. It was not possible to obtain a reply by press time from the companies contacted.