Nepali worker who was beaten by a Nepali contractor
Bridgeway / Saral Gurung
A Nepali youth who went to pick fruits from an agricultural farm in Victoria, Australia has been beaten by a Nepali contractor.
Dipendra Dhamala, who was living in Melbourne, was attacked by John Ghal, the director of a fruit picking contractor company. Talking to Nepal Tube, Dipendra said that he was punched and kicked by the contractor when he refused to go to work due to low wages. "I was sleeping soundly on Thursday morning, May 28. The supervisor had been informed that he could not go to work as his salary was low and his body was tired, 'said Dipendra.
Dipendra's leg has been bruised due to the kick. Dipendra says that he was very humiliated by this incident. Dipendra has already lodged a complaint with the local police about the incident. "How appropriate it is for one Nepali to try to reverse the need to help another Nepali," Dipendra questioned.
After his restaurant was closed due to Corona, Dipendra left his wife and newborn daughter and went to Mildura, 540 km from Melbourne, to pick fruits. Dipendra went to Mildura with a friend on May 25 last week. Dipendra, who was happy to see a good income from picking fruits, was upset that he could earn only 25 dollars by picking 600 kg of oranges.
On the other hand, John Ghale, who is accused of beating Dipendra, claims that it was not a beating but a normal push. After Dipendra insisted that he would not go to work at the last moment, John Ghale claimed that he had gone to remind him as he was called by Supervisor Javin Gautam. Ghale was accused of staying asleep till 10:30 am even though work was supposed to start at 10:30 am. Ghale claims that there was a scuffle between the two when they came face to face while inquiring about what had happened.
Ghal claimed that Dipendra was also paid डलर 25 for picking 600 kg of oranges according to the rate at the farm. Ghale claims that he helped many Nepalis by giving them jobs when he was in Corona. He says that he is also doing social service in Nepal. Ghal, who has been doing contract work in the agricultural farm sector for 10 years, said that he still has more than 80 Nepalis and more than 200 workers from different countries. "If I had been beaten and paid less, how would I have survived in this profession," Ghale asked.