In May 2020, 500 South Asian oil and gas workers in Ruwais, Nepalis and Indians among them, went on strike alleging that their employer had not paid their salaries for two months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time most of the workers had been confined to their accommodation. The workers took strike action at the company premises and prevented other workers going to work. Workers interviewed by The Kathmandu Post stated that they should either be paid their wages for the time they have been kept off work or be repatriated by the Nepal government. In a video posted on Facebook about the strike the workers can be seen wearing AMB Hertel uniforms. AMB Hertel is the UAE subsidiary of France-headquartered Altrad.

We contacted both AMB Hertel and Altrad with the concerns cited in the Kathmandu Post article, but did not receive a response.

An article published in June in Le Monde includes additional detail and testimony from over 20 Altrad employees who confirm the allegations reported in the Kathmandu Post. The paper contacted Altrad with the Facebook video; the article includes comments from the company.