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https://www.pixstory.com/story/shaping-future-of-kerala-labour-migration-addressing-the-challenges-part-11655458201/107863
Th Gulf Countries Continue to host the largest share of the Non Resident Keralites (NRKs), out of which more than 80 percent are low skilled and semi skilled workers. Regrettably hapless migrant labourers from India remains to be ‘disposable migrants’ who remain without any safety net, social security protection, welfare mechanisms, or labour rights. Though some of the GCC states have passed certain reforms to safeguard the migrants and their rights, and to protect them from discrimination, the implementation of
these reforms at the grassroots level remains unsuccessful.
The Covid 19 pandemic has exposed the already existing exploitative nature of the Kafala system which invariably resulted in mass retrenchment of labourers by the employers. Presently, South Asian countries, including their civil society organizations, scholars and migrant activists are leading a ‘justice for wage theft’ campaign for the disbursement of the pending salary benefits and other related dues to the employees by the employers.
The pandemic has resulted in unemployment, under-employment, reduction of salaries, and more importantly, nonpayment of salaries, compensation and residual dues. My fieldwork and research in Kuwait reveals that the context of COVID 19 for migrant Keralite labourers is reminiscent of the plight of migrant labourers who had been evacuated during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
in 1990. It is important to highlight that the rich employers in GCC who are violating the basic labour laws and refuse to pay regular salaries and dues, belong to of different nationalities including India.
The continuous problems faced by migrant labourers are of the irregular payment of wages, poor working conditions, negation of labour rights , the absence of proper grievances redressal mechanisms and inability of access to a transparent judicial system. Irregular and non-payment of wages, abuse at the workplace have long been a persistent problem in GCC
countries. The non-addressal of these issues by both receiving and host countries have aggravated the precarious conditions and led to large scale denial of salaries and other benefits during the Covid 19 pandemic.
To Be Continued