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HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
KATHMANDU: International organisations working on anti-slavery are launching a campaign against forceful recruitment of Nepali workers in Gulf countries. According to Anti-Slavery International and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the campaign will target improvement in the fundamental rights of workers across the region.
The campaign is aiming to improve the working conditions of Nepali migrants by protecting workers from unscrupulous recruitment agents, persuading governments to allow the freedom of association, and ending the abusive ‘Kafala’ sponsorship system, it said.
Around 3.5 million Nepali workers live abroad. Every day, 800 migrants leave Nepal legally,with as many migrating illegally. Of them, one million Nepali migrants work in Gulf countries. They work in organised sectors like construction and hospitality, and also as security guards and domestic helps.
Many Nepali migrant workers fall victim to unscrupulous recruitment agencies who promise a better living. To afford the agent’s fee, many migrants take out huge loans, only to find on arrival in the Gulf that their agreed salary is not being given. Most are paid half of what they are promised and many are not paid at all.
Anti-Slavery International and ITUC are calling for better regulation of recruitment agents in Nepal and the Gulf countries and an end to the illegal practice of migrant workers paying fees to agents, who in law are only entitled to receive payment from the employer for successfully recruiting a worker.
Both organisations are also calling for the United Arab Emirates to end the ‘Kafala’ sponsorship system, which except for Bahrain, exists across the region. Under this system migrant workers’ visas are linked to one employer or ‘sponsor’, and in most countries they have no right to seek alternative employment. Combined with the low-wages, this works as a virtual trap for thousands of migrant workers in exploitative conditions and even forced labour.
Anti-Slavery International and ITUC are also demanding all migrant workers in Gulf countries to be given the freedom of association and collective bargaining. Currently in the UAE, migrant workers are not allowed to join a trade union and do not have the right to strike. Workers who protest against unfair working conditions or unpaid wages can face imprisonment and deportation. Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest human rights organisation and campaigns for the eradication of slavery. ITUC represents 176 million workers in 151 countries and territories and has 301 national affiliates.
The Himalayan Times - Campaign to begin against forced labour in the Gulf - Detail News
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