Source:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/384515/indian-priests-say-they-have-been-exploited-by-employer
ਨਿਊਜ਼ੀਲੈਂਡ
ਵਿੱਖੇ ਹਰਨੇਕ ਦੇ ਨਿਜੀ ਗੋਲਕਦੁਆਰੇ 'ਤੇ ਰੱਖੇ ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਹਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਤੇ ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ
ਸਿੰਘ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਸ਼ੋਸ਼ਣ ਦਾ ਇਲਜ਼ਾਮ ਲਗਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ
ਲੰਮੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਤੱਕ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਵਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੀ, ਕੋਈ ਛੁੱਟੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਸੀ, ਤੇ
ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਹੁਣ
Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ਵਿੱਚ ਆਪਣਾ
claim ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ਦੋਵੇਂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂਆਪਣੇ ਵਕੀਲ
ਰਾਹੀਂ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਇੱਕ ਦਿਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਘੱਟੋ ਘੱਟ 10 ਘੰਟੇ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦੇ ਰਹੇ। ਉਹ ਹਰ
ਸਵੇਰ 4 ਵਜੇ ਉੱਠ ਕੇ ਅੱਧੇ ਘੰਟੇ ਬਾਅਦ ਪਾਠ ਕਰਣ ਲੱਗ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਸਨ।
ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ
Contract ਮੁਤਾਬਿਕ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ 1000 ਡਾਲਰ ਅਤੇ ਰਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਠਿਕਾਣਾ, ਰੋਟੀ
ਪਾਣੀ ਅਤੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਆਉਣ ਜਾਣ ਦੀ ਸੁਵਿਧਾ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾਣੀ ਸੀ।
ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਵਕੀਲ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਅੱਧੇ ਸਾਲ ਦੇ ਕੰਮ ਮਗਰੋਂ ਹਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੂੰ
ਕੇਵਲ 2000 ਅਤੇ ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੂੰ ਕੇਵਲ 1000 ਡਾਲਰ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਗਏ। ਦੋਹਾਂ
ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਇੱਕ ਛੋਟੇ ਜਿਹੇ ਕਮਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਸਨ ਜਿਸਦੀ ਛੱਤ ਚੋਂਦੀ
ਸੀ। ਉਹ ਸਿਰਫ ਗੱਦੇ 'ਤੇ ਸੌਂਦੇ ਰਹੇ, ਪਰਦਿਆਂ ਬਗੈਰ ਖਿੜਕੀਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਅਖਬਾਰ ਲਾ ਕੇ ਸਮਾਂ
ਕੱਟਦੇ ਰਹੇ। ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਸਲਾਭੇ ਹੋਏ ਗੱਦੇ
'ਤੇ ਸੌਣ ਨਾਲ ਲੱਤ 'ਤੇ ਇਨਫੈਕਸ਼ਨ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ। ਅਸੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਉਮੀਦ ਲਾ ਕੇ ਨਿਊਜ਼ੀਲੈਂਡ ਆਏ
ਸੀ, ਪਰ ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਉਮੀਦਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਪਾਣੀ ਫਿਰ ਗਿਆ।
ਗੋਲਕਦੁਆਰੇ ਦੇ ਕਨਵੀਨਰ (ਫੁਕਰੇ ਸਾਧ
ਦੇ ਪਾਲਤੂ) ਹਰਨੇਕ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਸਨੇ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਧੀਆ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੱਖਿਆ
ਸੀ ਅਤੇ ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਲਗਾਏ ਗਏ ਇਲਜ਼ਾਮਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਇਨਕਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ। ਉਸਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਦੋਵੇਂ
ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀ ਸਿਰਫ ਪੰਜ ਘੰਟੇ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਦੇ ਸੀ ਤੇ ਸਿਰਫ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸ਼ਨਿੱਚਰਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਪੜਾਉਂਦੇ
ਸੀ। ਛੱਤ ਲੀਕ ਹੋਣ ਦੇ ਇਲਜ਼ਾਮ ਤੋਂ ਹਰਨੇਕ ਨੇ ਇਨਕਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ। ਉਸਨੇ ਹੋਰ ਵੀ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ
ਦੋਹਾਂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਤਨਖਾਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੇਰੀ ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਕਹਿਣ 'ਤੇ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ। ਹਰਨੇਕ ਨੇ
ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਸਦੀ ਸੋਚਣੀ ਬਾਕੀ
community ਨਾਲੋਂ ਵੱਖਰੀ ਹੈ, ਇਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਸ ਵਿਰੁਧ ਸਾਜਿਸ਼ਾਂ ਘੜੀਆਂ ਜਾ ਰਹੀਆਂ
ਹਨ।
Two Indian priests (or granthi) say they have been exploited
since coming to work in New Zealand, earning just $2000 and
$1000 respectively for six months' work.
Harpreet
Singh and Jaswinder Singh came to work as the head priest and
religious singers at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, a Sikh
temple in Papatoetoe, South Auckland in 2017.
They said they worked long hours and had no holidays, and have taken a
claim to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).
The two men spoke through their rights advocate and interpreter, also
called Harpreet Singh, who said that they worked about 10 hours in a
typical day.
They normally woke up at 4am to get ready for prayers which started half
an hour later, they said.
During the day, they distributed the blessed food parshad to
worshippers, tidied up the premises and taught children before leading
evening prayers.
Their contract said their employer would pay them $1000 a month on top
of providing them with accommodation, meals and transport expenses.
But for half a year's work, Harpreet Singh only received $2000 while
Jaswinder Singh was paid $1000 in cash, they said through the advocate.
"We're very unhappy about it that we were paid so little by our
employer. We believe that it's even illegal as per the New Zealand
laws," Harpreet Singh said.
Harpreet Singh and Jaswinder Singh say they shared a small room with a
leaking roof in the temple.
They said they were sleeping on mattresses and stuck newspapers on the
curtainless windows, and their food was largely donated by devotees -
these should have a value of $280 per week for each of them according to
their contract.
Jaswinder Singh said he got a leg infection after sleeping on the damp
mattress.
"We did not expect we'll be living in such pitiable conditions. We had
very high dreams and all our dreams were destroyed in front of our eyes.
We're very disappointed," he said.
However, the temple's convenor Harnek Singh said they treated the two
men with good faith and denied their allegations.
He said the two priests barely worked five hours per day and only taught
children on Saturdays.
They were not asked to maintain the premises but just clean up after
themselves - and he denied their room leaked.
Harnek Singh said the priests asked him to delay part of their wage
payments until they had left the country.
He added his Sikh temple was more radical than the majority of the Sikh
community in New Zealand, and believed this case was part of a bigger
plot hatched against him.
"They're just making allegations and we'll explain to the ERA," Harnek
Singh said, regarding the upcoming meeting at the ERA in July after two
unsuccessful mediation sessions.
Employment law advocate May Moncur is acting on behalf of the two men
and has come across similar cases involving the Sikh community.
"It's very difficult for them to speak out. A lot of them just stayed
quiet," Ms Moncur said.
"I think maybe the government and the authorities need to look at the
matter to make sure the law can be upheld in a more effective manner to
encourage the workers to exercise their rights."
Labour Inspectorate national manager Stu Lumsden said they were
currently investigating Sri Guru Singh Sabha for possible breaches of
minimum employment standards.
Rajinder Singh, secretary of community group the Supreme Sikh Society of
New Zealand, said pastors were traditionally not regarded as employees
but now reputable organisations try to meet employment obligations.
"A fair work environment needs to be established," he said.
The two men's advocate Harpreet Singh, who's the founder of Sikh
Awareness, said they were aware of a few Sikh temples not paying their
religious workers properly.
"We're trying our best to make sure that this doesn't happen in the
future by highlighting those cases, so the employers think twice before
they're trying to take advantage of the religious workers who are not
aware of their rights."
ਜੇ
ਕਿਸੇ ਪਾਠਕ ਨੇ ਕੁਮੈਂਟ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਇੱਥੇ ਕਲਿੱਕ ਕਰਕੇ ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ।
