Events & Issues

New Delhi, 21 September 2016

Migrant Workers Abroad

NEED TO FORMALISE ARRANGEMENTS

By Dr S Saraswathi

(Former Director, ICSSR, New Delhi)

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s advice to the stranded Indian workers in Saudi Arabia to return home offering them free passage at Government cost comes as the best and the  only way of protecting the lives and liberties of the migrant workers stuck in that country. She has stated a bitter truth that there is no point in waiting there indefinitely to collect their salary dues. A rude shock for the working force!

It is an advice in the interest of safety and security of the workers, but is born out of a hopelessly bad employment arrangement. Perhaps the dues will be paid when a settlement is reached between the Saudi Government and the employer companies, but the Indian workers are the sufferers in the meantime. This episode is bound to discourage labour migrations.

The situation is definitely grim, if reports of starvation of some migrant Indian workers due to what is described as “food crisis” are true. The problem is beyond the negotiating capacities of the workers and needs to be rectified by the Government of India.

Such reports from the Middle East are common. Another report is about 62 fishermen alleged to have been harassed by their employers in Saudi Arabia but unable to return to India as they are bound by a contract. Recall, rports of workers kept as captives in Iraq rocked the nation last year.  

According to the estimates made by the ILO for 2013, there were 232 million international migrants in the world, i.e. persons outside their country of origin for 12 months or more.   Migrant workers among them numbered about 150.3 million comprising about 83.7 million men (55.7 per cent) and 66.6 million women (44.3 per cent).

Kerala is for years known for its emigrant population. A village is even nicknamed as “Dubai village”, in which at least one member in every household is in Dubai. Tamil Nadu is said to have overtaken Kerala, according to a recent survey on migration, has found that one out of 10 households in the State has a member abroad.

The UN Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families adopted by the General Assembly in 1990 defines migrant worker as “a person who is to be engaged, is engaged, or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which he or she is not a national”. The definition is broad covering many people working outside their home country. There are millions of foreign workers in several countries.

Under this definition, refugees fleeing from their country for safety and security, displaced persons, victims of war and natural calamities, and illegal entrants to a foreign country are excluded. Migrant workers are those who voluntarily move in search of employment or in response to labour demand of host countries.

The agenda for Sustainable Development for 2015-30, which is the follow up of the Millennium Development Goals, targets migrant workers also. Goal No. 8 regarding employment and decent work includes protection of all workers including migrant workers. Goal No.10 on reducing inequalities within and among nations implies well-managed migration policies. Evidently, the contribution of migrant workers to development of the countries of their origin and to their host countries merits inclusion of welfare of this workforce as a global agenda.

Indian migrant workers in the Middle East are mostly skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour force seeking employment or betterment of their economic conditions. Globalisation and resulting income inequalities in the home country have been favouring migrations. The status of migrants and the responsibility of the host countries towards them have become important aspects of international relations today.

An ILO study shows Northern America on top with 24.7 per cent of migrant workers followed by Norway and South-Western Europe with 23.8 per cent. Arab States are hosts to 11.7 per cent migrant workers, and Eastern Europe to 9.2 per cent.

A vast majority of migrant workers (71.7 per cent) are found in the service sector followed by industry comprising construction and manufacturing (17.8 per cent). Domestic workers constitute 7.7 per cent who are the weakest and the most exploited lot.

It is interesting to note that Arab States have the highest proportion of migrant workers as a share of all workers with 35.6 per cent. The reason is lack of skilled workers and professionals at home, which make them dependent on other countries to provide competent hands to develop their country. In fact, it is a situation that must give the upper hand to the labour and not the employer. But, the reality is exactly opposite. We are going back in social development under the pressure of globalisation and have to re-assert the equality of employers and employees and their inter-dependence.

Migrant workers are behind the growth and development of their host countries and also benefit their motherland by their remittances and work experiences gained abroad. According to reports, remittances from migrant workers – both white collar and blue collar -- amounted to US $72 billion last year, which was said to be the largest foreign-earned wages in the world.

However important migrant labour is for the two countries involved, there seems to be no proper recognition of its economic significance. Migrant labour is looked upon as a boon turned as a bane sometimes for the individual worker concerned. Its collective value is sadly ignored at both ends.

The general trend of de-regulation of labour under globalization encourages employment of low-cost migrant labour from poor countries in preference to high cost local labour. It works as a chain in which one country is at the same time provider of low-cost labour to some and receiver of low-cost labour from some others.

Formal employment guarantees and human rights protection are missing in informal and private arrangements. Lured by the possibilities of rewards, the workers fail to see and/or ignore the risks awaiting them. Many of them are tempted to short-cut the procedure and approach unauthorized middle men to make the arrangements.

The challenges involved in governance of migration must be addressed at the earliest as integral part of international relations. Prospective migrant workers need complete knowledge of the implications of service abroad. This is as much applicable to high level technical personnel as to the unskilled workers. Many of them gather information from other people’s experience because of gaps in international legal framework.

In many Gulf Countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and UAE, reports mention prevalence of “kafala system” (meaning sponsorship system) which requires the workers to find a local sponsor and legally binds the worker to the employer. It gives undue power and influence to the employer leaving little freedom to the worker. A common practice among employers is to obtain the passports of the employees on their arrival thus virtually depriving them their liberty to leave the job. The practice is condemned by the ILO as a “contemporary form of slavery”.

In spite of numerous problems, most countries are encouraging both in-migrants and out-migrants internationally.  Both contribute to growth of economy. Since migrant labour plays  such an important role in global economy, nations must come together to sort out the issues and formalise arrangements.----INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)