7Mangaluru: When 54-year-old Clifford Rebello was illegally terminated from his job in the UAE by his employer in 2017, he could never have imagined the fight that lay before him to return home and see his family again. After being stranded in Dubai with no money or passport for six years, Rebello (who is originally from Kankanady, Mangaluru) has won that fight as has now departed from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai where he currently lives with his wife, eight-year-old son, and ailing mother.
After his employer dismissed him from the job and withheld his passport, Rebello approached the UAE labour courts and won the case. However, Rebello’s employer refused to adhere to the court order and, according to Rebello, resorted to leveling threats against him.
Desperate and helpless, Rebello then approached a social activist and later, the Indian Embassy in the UAE. He even wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “save an Indian” and intervene in the matter.
Now, thanks to a social activist and organisations like the Konkani Cultural Organisation, St Josephs Konkani Community, and Ozwald Martis, Clifford Rebello was able to pay the penalty for overstaying in the UAE without a residence visa and return home to Mumbai.