A security services company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has laid off 84 Nepali security guards on the charge of putting forth demands, something which it claims was against the law.
The employer, the Critical National Information Authority (CNIA) in Abu Dhabi, laid them off and sent them back to Nepal recently.
However, the returnees claimed that their demands were just, as they were aimed at gaining legality for their work, which included bearing heavy arms that only state security guards are allowed to carry.
“We put forth demands such as recognition for our work, which is similar to that of the UAE´s security forces, as we were required to carry heavy arms while duty and remain inside barracks even when off duty,” Arjun Limbu, a returnee, told myrepublica.com.
“But CNIA laid us off, accusing us of involvement in activities against the law of the land.”
The returnees were employed by the company along with more than 500 other Nepalis from as far back as 21 months ago, through the Emirates Gateway Security Service (EGSS) - an UAE-based recruiting agency.
They said that they were forced to carry modern weapons like the M-4 rifle while guarding sensitive establishments such as gas mines, industrial complexes, the CNIA headquarters, arms storage facilities and water storage.
They claimed that only state security personnel are allowed to carry such sophisticated arms. The international training agencies Asian Global Technology and Olive Group had provided arms training to the Nepalis for three months before they joined the company.
The workers had also demanded a pay hike, medical insurance and other benefits from the company. They served as ordinary security guards and were receiving 1,300 Dirham to 1,600 Dirham per month under a three-year contract.
The laid-off workers registered a complaint at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) two weeks back, demanding that the government stop issuing fresh permits for working for the company that handed out the pink slips.
According to DoFE, Ahmed Ali Al Shehhid, general manager of EGSS, wrote to DoFE recently informing that the Nepali security guards were not respecting the law of the land, leaving the company no option but to repatriate them. DoFE has inquired with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the legality of deploying workers as a security force and compelling them to carry sophisticated arms just like security personnel.
“We are consulting legal experts about the legality of deploying Nepali workers in security personnel-like roles in a foreign land,” Mohan Krishna Sapkota, director general of DoFE, told myrepublica.com.
Most of the workers employed in the UAE company were defectors or retired personnel from the Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force and the Indian Army.
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