"How 48 Indian workers strengthened Malaysia's forced labour fight,"

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"We don't have food, we have not received our salaries and we have no place to sleep," he said, according to a translator. "There is no escape. Everywhere we go, there are eyes on us."

He added their employer had threatened them with beatings and death.

He was among 48 Indian nationals, all men, who were allegedly forced to work without salary at a construction site in Bentong, Pahang, where a high-voltage electrical tower was being installed...

After making their video appeal, the workers managed to escape from their work site during the Deepavali holidays in 2018 and were eventually rescued and then detained by the authorities to have their documents processed so that they could be repatriated to India.

Five years later, their ordeal is not over.

Receiving their last two months' wages – September and October 2018 – proved elusive as their employer refused to pay them. Their monthly salary ranged from RM1,346.46 to RM3,334.34, and they were also entitled to a daily food allowance of RM150.

But unlike most incidents involving foreign workers and wage theft – the most common form of forced labour and modern slavery – the story of the Indian workers nears the end with a hopeful note and affirmation of workers' rights, which will have international implications.

Labour rights experts say the difference is that these workers were able to access the legal system in Malaysia, adding more work needs to be done to provide legal aid...

"They have not paid. We have returned to the Labour Court to register the order with the Magistrate's Court. Once the order is registered, then we can take enforcement action under the law," said [ Datuk Seri M. Ramachelvam, the lawyer who represented the workers in both appeals], adding they will not give up until the workers get their wages.

Bernama contacted AJN Energy and the company declined to give an immediate comment...