Indian Consulate in Australia has also taken cognisance of the matter. A spokesman for the Indian Consulate General in Sydney said: “The mission is really concerned with the ill-treatment of workers from India.” (Representational image) Indian Consulate in Australia has also taken cognisance of the matter. A spokesman for the Indian Consulate General in Sydney said: “The mission is really concerned with the ill-treatment of workers from India.” (Representational image)

An Indian national interning with a popular hotel chain in Australia is facing the threat of deportation for allegedly complaining about his fixed salary and being asked to pay above-market rent by his employer, a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald said. A series of reports in The Sydney Morning Herald have revealed alleged exploitation of hotel workers, mostly from South Asia, hired through the Australian Internship program.

Narendra Shetty, who holds a degree of Bachelors in Hotel Management from India, signed a 52-week training contract through Australian Internships to work at the Escarpment Group of hotels in the Blue Mountains. He went to Australia on a 407 visa, which allows a migrant to work for an Australian employer whilst undertaking on-the-job training. He is reported to have paid more than $6,500 for the internship, with his training contract including an annual salary of $49,943, plus a full boarding, twin-share accommodation with three meals daily.

Shetty was, however, shocked to learn that he was required to pay $480 a week for a shared bedroom and meals at the Hydro Majestic Hotel in Medlow Bath. The rent is approximately $60 more than the market rate for an entire house in the Blue Mountains. When he refused, he was asked to leave the property within 24.

When he complained to Australian Internships, he got a reply stating his “time here in Australia is focused on training. It should not be focused on remuneration”.

Shetty was later invited to work at the Lilianfels hotel in Katoomba where he agreed to pay his employer $250 a week for rent, not including meals. He was also asked to sign another document to work for a flat annual salary which he refused as the offer did not include paid overtime.

On March 13, Escarpment Group sacked Shetty, citing his “poor work performance”. Shetty applied for a student visa and enrolled in a cooking course in Sydney, which got rejected last week. The Australian Department of Home Affairs is now considering to cancel his 407 internship visa, which puts him at the risk of deportation. The department said that Shetty did not provide any “concrete evidence and not hearsay” to counter the accusations.

Shetty is not the only migrant who has complained against Escarpment Group. Another employee Arindam Biswas, who is a desk clerk at the group, faced a similar situation as he was asked to pay a higher rent. He was sacked after he complained to Australian Internships about the alleged exploitation.

As more such cases are coming to the fore, the Fair Work Ombudsman and Australian Department of Home Affairs are investigating the Escarpment Group for underpaying and exploiting its employees/interns, including those on 407 visas.

Indian Consulate in Australia has also taken cognisance of the matter. A spokesman for the Indian Consulate General in Sydney said: “The mission is really concerned with the ill-treatment of workers from India.”

The head of the Australian government’s Migrant Worker Taskforce, Allan Fels, has also warned that these cases risk Australia’s reputation in South Asia.

(With inputs from The Sydney Morning Herald)

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