Ex-Indian Envoy To Australia Forced Domestic Employee To Work 17.5 Hours, Paid Just $9 Per Day
Seema Sherghill arrived in Australia in April 2015 and worked for approximately a year at then-high commissioner Navdeep Suri Singh's Canberra residence.
New Delhi: The Federal Court has ordered India's former high commissioner to Australia to compensate a former domestic employee with thousands of dollars for unpaid wages and unfair working conditions, reported ABC News.
Seema Sherghill arrived in Australia in April 2015 and worked for approximately a year at then-high commissioner Navdeep Suri Singh's Canberra residence.
During this period, the Federal Court heard that Sherghill worked seven days a week, laboring for 17.5 hours per day. Her responsibilities encompassed house cleaning, meal preparation, garden maintenance, and she was rarely permitted to leave the house, except for walking Suri's dog, according to ABC News.
Initially, she received a meager wage equivalent to about $7.80 per day, which was later increased to $9 per day after she complained.
She received only around $3,400 for her 13 months of work.
According to ABC News, Justice Raper said, "[Ms Sherghill's] employment conditions bore no resemblance to what one would expect under Australian law," adding that "Her passport was taken from her, she worked seven days a week, was never permitted to take leave and was only allowed outside the house for brief periods a day when looking after Mr Suri's dog."
The court ordered Suri to pay more than $136,000 plus interest to Sherghill within 60 days, ABC News reported.
Justice Raper also found Suri was ineligible to claim foreign state immunity, because Sherghill did not work for the High Commission itself, nor diplomatic immunity, as the engagement of a domestic worker was not an official function of his position.
Sherghill said that she had previously worked for Suri while he served as India's Ambassador to Egypt, however, this was a much different experience, as she was solely responsible for maintaining the eight-bedroom house.
"I was responsible for doing everything," ABC News said quoting Sherghill.
"When he and his wife were away, instead of my usual chores, Mr Suri or his wife usually would ask me to make large batches of samosas and freeze them, or to clean the silverware.
"They would call and check up on me, to ensure that I was working."
Sherghill further stated that Suri's wife was also "very demanding". "She often nagged me to work harder, and said to me things such as, I was earning too much money," she said.
According to the news report, Sherghill fled the residence in May 2016 without taking any of her belongings.
Subsequently, she became homeless before finding her way to the Fair Work Ombudsman, who then connected her with the Salvation Army.
In 2021, Sherghill was granted Australian citizenship.
Top Headlines
