Abu Dhabi, Jan 25 (IANS) A platform of Gulf nations recruiting overseas workers in large numbers has recommended that all such workers be protected under the national laws of their countries of residence.
The Gulf Forum on Temporary Contractual Labour (GFTCL), which concluded its two-day conference here Thursday, has called for the protection of overseas workers under the national laws of countries of destination during their period of temporary residence.
They said the legal protection should include areas of health and safety, accommodation, decent work environment and wages, all in adherence to relevant international labour standards.
The recommendation comes following the Fourth Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin and Destination in Asia held here Jan 21-22, which was attended by delegations from 21 labour sending and receiving countries in Asia, including India.
The forum also called for protection of workers against illegal or unfair recruitment practices and ensuring that they make informed decisions when engaging in the offered employment. It called for successful reintegration of the workers in their countries of origin at the end of the employment cycle.
It was also recommended that the policies and regulations pertaining to temporary contractual workers should take into consideration the particularities of the Gulf region and the national interest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
The GCC countries comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
There are around five million expatriate Indians in these Gulf countries, many of them working as contract labour in the booming construction industry across the region.
Based on the key outcomes of the session in the ministerial consultation, which examined the issue of Asian contractual labour in the GCC countries, the forum has recommended provision of induction and counselling programmes to contractual workers in countries of origin that offer guidelines about the countries of destination, including language, cultural and legal aspects and ensuring that recruitment agencies in both countries of origin and destination are held accountable under national laws and regulations.
The forum wants recruitment agencies in both sending and receiving countries to be invited to a meeting scheduled in Manila this October.
The Gulf forum called for facilitation of engagement of civil society organizations in countries of destination in addressing and providing solutions to labour related challenges as well as networking between non-governmental organizations in countries of origin and destination.
The list of recommendations concluded with a call for more efforts to ensure better labour relations.
“While appreciating the positive steps undertaken by the GCC countries towards better and stable labour relations, extra efforts are to be encouraged in this respect,” it stated.
Ministers of labour in the GCC countries and representatives from Arab Labour Organization, International Organization for Migration and International Labour Organization participated in the two-day conference of the forum.