Hotel workers in Malaysia and Mauritius complained about their passports being taken away by employers and being forced to work for 18 hours without proper food and rest.
Thousands of migrant workers from Tamil Nadu in the Middle East and South East Asia have seen their dreams of a better life turn sour with unscrupulous agents and employers depriving them of basic needs and making them work long hours.
Mostly working in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,Jordan, Bahrain Singapore, Malaysia, these workers remit around $43.5 billion to their families back home, A Raman, president of an NGO, 'Grama Iyakkam', quoting an annual RBI report, said.
According to the NGO, which organised a seminar on the workers' plight at Sivaganga recently, these labourers are forced to live and work in appalling conditions.
Sexual abuse of women by employers, non-payment of wages and confiscation of their passports are their main grouse. Even in countries where punishment for such offences is severe,the workers do not lodge complaints, fearing further harassment, said speakers at a seminar organised by the NGO.
Hotel workers in Malaysia and Mauritius complained about their passports being taken away by employers and being forced to work for 18 hours without proper food and rest.
Speakers suggested that the Centre emulate Sri Lanka which monitors their citizens in foreign lands and promptly addresses their grievances and to implement measures to ensure their welfare. Though Indian officials assure that employers are being monitored, nothing was being done, they said.
In some cases, employers allow workers allow to stay and work beyond the stipulated period and then blackmail them, saying they would be punished for overstay, the NGO said.
The seminar was jointly sponsored by Building and Wood workers International and Tamil Nadu Construction and Unorganised workers Federation.
Mohammed Basha, a worker in Malaysia, said it was 'divine help' which had helped him escape the clutches of his employers. Promised a good job by his agent, he landed up in another one with far lesser pay and no benefits.
He could not approach the Indian embassy there as his passport was taken away and officials were not helpful.
Another worker Balakrishnan claimed that he had been framed in a case by his employers and had to suffer a lot before escape.
The NGO said that even bodies of workers who died in mishaps in construction sites in the Middle East could be brought back to their homeland only after a great ordeal. No compensation was given in most cases, they said.
They suggested that agents misleading workers from rural areas be monitored and all brought under some centralised network, at least at the state-level to monitor how many were being recruited and placed in jobs.
V Pari, an advocate specialising in problems of Malaysian immigrants, says most workers hail from Tamil Nadu but have to suffer more than their counterparts from Bihar or Kerala. He said the embassy must have more Tamil speaking officials.
The seminar suggested that the government create awareness through TV and radio about its services for migrant workers.
State governments concerned could establish overseas manpower corporations to help migrant workers and frequently publish a list of recognised overseas recruitment agencies and travel agents so that people are not taken for a ride, they said.
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