While expressing concern for the poor, gullible and mostly illiterate workers facing tough time due to malpractices adopted by the recruiting agencies, the Ambassador of India in Saudi Arabia has urged the State Government to take appropriate legal action against them.
Indian Ambassador based at Riyadh, Ahmed Javed has brought the attention of the State Government in this regard.
Workers from Odisha, mostly illiterate and women, are moving to Saudi Arabia being lured by the recruitment agencies with false and incorrect promises regarding salary, work environment, nature of work, provision of leave and local conditions.In case of female workers, it is noticed that they are entering with tourist visa via a third country like UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain and entering Saudi Arabia to take up jobs.
When workers are experiencing difficulties after arrival in Saudi Arabia, these agents are vanishing from the area and leaving these poor and hapless people in dire straits.
Recently 24 Indian workers, including 12 from Odisha, were held captive by a company on salary related issue and after the intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, they were helped out by the Indian Embassy at Riyadh.
While there is a strict sponsorship rule in Saudi Arabia, a sponsor needs to be reimbursed the recruitment expenses like visa fees, air fare etc, of hiring an expatriate worker. As almost all such cases are of premature repatriation, that is quitting job before the contracted period, the amount, which is substantial, can only be paid by the concerned agents involved in the selection and recruitment of the workers, as per rules.
Under this backdrop, Ambassador Javed has urged the State Government to sensitize the concerned authorities and the State police so that the culprits do not go unpunished and the entire chain of unscrupulous agents is smashed.
Sustained campaign is needed to be taken up so that these illiterate and semi illiterate hapless people are not harassed in a foreign country being duped by these dishonest agents, said Javed.Earlier, the State Government looking at the plight of emigrant workers had convened a joint meeting of the Home, State Police, labor and ESI officials and decided to chalk out an action plan to contain illegal activities of the recruitment agencies.
While the action plan is being worked out now with the Saudi Arabia Ambassador flagging concern over these workers, concrete steps will be taken in this regard, said sources.