Nepalese guest workers left Cinram for better jobs

02/06/2008 04:52:50 AM EST
TURKISH DAILY NEWS

About 150 guest workers from Nepal who seemingly vanished from apartments in Huntsville, Alabama allegedly taking furniture and appliances, left in search of better-paying jobs, said a resident who befriended the immigrants.

The Huntsville Times reported Monday that a letter from the agency that hired more than 200 Nepalese workers said they were free to leave at any time. There also was no sign of missing furniture or cookware at the apartments where they had been staying, as their landlord had alleged, the newspaper said.

Tilak Shrestha, a Nepalese scientist in Huntsville who befriended several of the workers, said they left the jobs at a local Cinram Inc. plant in search of better-paying employment.

"Why they are missing is their primary motivation is to work and earn money," Shrestha said. "There is not enough work and they went other places to find better work than the Cinram."

The Times said a form letter from their employer, Ambassador Personnel, was sent Nov. 29 saying their employment was "at-will" and adding: "Employees are free to relinquish their positions at any time, with or without cause."

Some of the workers, paid $8 (5.40 euros) an hour to label and pack DVDs at Cinrams Huntsville plant, have said they were not getting as many hours as hoped after the holidays.

The Times said a walk through the furnished apartments the Nepalese rented revealed plastic patio furniture, used sleeper couches, beds, small $150 (101 euros) TV sets and old cookware, as had been evident on a visit in November.

"None of these guys are going to run around with a plastic table and dirty pans," said Shrestha.

Mary Snopl, the landlord for the Nepalese workers, had told a television news station last week that about 150 of the guest workers had left the apartments and taken furniture, televisions and kitchenware with them.

Told by the Times that the furnishings did not appear to be missing, she said, "If that's the case, that's great."

Officials with Ambassador Personnel and Cinram said last week the workers returned to Nepal early out of homesickness. Federal immigration officials said the missing worker case is being checked out.