Light at end of tunnel?
As predicted, the Indian government made a last minute U-turn on plans to
recommend a minimum wage of BD100 for unskilled Indian labourers working in
Bahrain.
The latest excuse the government has invented is that "the new minimum wage
was an official Indian policy decided months ago and that it would affect only
labourers recruited after March 1." And, ultimately, the file was closed.
But the initiative taken by the Bahrain government to send a delegation to
India during the fourth week of this month under the leadership of Labour
Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi is a timely one and looks like light at the end of
the tunnel for struggling labourers. Dr Al Alawi will be accompanied by three
ministry officials, one from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority and five
businessmen: Farooq Almoayyed, Jameel Mayrooq, Sameer Nass, Adel Al Ali and
Yousif Saher.
There is going to be a shortage of five million workers and it will surely
hit major development projects in GCC countries, especially in Bahrain, in the
next five years. Also, as the Asian economy is booming, especially in India,
and the workers there are paid heavily, there can be a mass exodus of
expatriate labourers from Bahrain if their rightful demands are not met by
their bosses.
The white collar Indian expatriate workers too find it very difficult to make
a decent living in Bahrain with the soaring house rents, inflation and the
separation from their families. There should be some control over the rents and
landlords should not be allowed a freehand to continue increasing the rents.
I hope that the Bahraini delegation explores ways and means to co-operate
with the Indian government to end the plight of 270,000 unskilled labourers and
housemaids living in Bahrain.
Ramanathan Menon/Gulf Daily News
- Forwarded by www.goa-world.com
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