INTUC, Odisha Branch president and former Rajya Sabha member Ramchandra Khuntia has urged the UNO and the IlO to protect migrant labourers of Middle East countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and Indonesia who are working in Malaysia, Hung Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the Maldives, and being harassed by agents.
“Though they are sending huge money in euro and dollar to their respective countries and helping in increase of foreign exchange reserves, yet they have are being neglected by contractors and agents,” pointed out Khuntia while addressing a conference of international migrant labourers in Indonesia recently.
India alone is getting 78 billion which is the 2nd highest foreign reserve income in the world. The migrant labour source income is a substantial percentage of their respective country’s budget. But unfortunately the migrant workers are subjected to harassment by the unscrupulous agents, contractors and the so-called Kafla system in Middle East countries, including Katar, Khuntia, who is also vice-president of Building and Wook Workers’ International, said.
He said although the Government of India has signed bilateral agreements with many receiving countries and floated social security and pension schemes for migrant labourers, yet they are exploited by agents.
Khuntia suggested the UNO and the IlO to develop a common code of conduct for the agents and contractors for recruitment of migrant labourers. Besides, he urged the Government of India to immediately amend Immigration Act and Inter-State Migrant labour Act 1979.
The conference was held for two days from August 10 to 12 in Indonesia which was attend by 225 delegates from 45 countries.
The conference resolved to constitute united Forum of Trade Union, NGO and Civil Society to protect the migrant labourers and to develop common code of conduct to contact Governments and agents required for migrant labourers.