Libia - Migrants held hostage in pay strike (2011)

Nepali workers were held hostage on 21 October after asking for a pay rise. The 67 workers were employed at a real estate and construction company and had been on strike for 18 days when company officials locked them into their residence, padlocking the main gate. They had been paid less than they were promised when they came from Nepal in April. When they went on strike the company asked them to leave, at their own cost. In August 108 Nepali workers, who had not been paid for a year, were held hostage by their employer and had to be rescued by the Nepalese authorities with the help of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).