Though abuse of foreign workers in the Gulf countries is still rife, governments in the region are slowly working towards protecting their rights, a workers’ rights specialist said.
“There’s an interest by these governments to do something about it,” said Khawla Mattar, a senior specialist on fundamental principles and rights at work with the International Labor Organization.
Mattar said the Gulf countries had become heavily reliant on foreign workers who flocked to these countries from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the Horn of Africa and other Arab states.
Originally they were recruited for the construction and development industries, but over the years they have also come to provide domestic services, providing cheap labor.
“It’s obvious that the treatment of these workers is not up to standard,” Mattar told The Media Line.
In many cases their rights are not protected at all, she said. They have no contracts to state their rights and conditions of work and there are many rights violations, including consecutive months of unpaid salaries, long hours, poor working conditions, maltreatment, abuse and even rape of migrant women, she said.
She believes migrant workers in the Gulf countries are treated worse than in other countries.
“It’s becoming an issue for us and many of the local governments are also concerned,” she said.
In many of these countries the laws are not developed enough to protect foreign workers and even if the laws are changed, there is no adequate labor monitoring service to ensure they are implemented.
The culture of human rights in general is lacking, both towards foreigners and nationals. Mattar said the ILO was trying to create a culture whereby these countries would recognize that access and rights to work are basic human rights.
However, she noted some positives moves in some states.
Bahrain is moving on setting a minimum wage so that migrant workers will earn the same as Bahrainis and will not be designated as cheap labor.
Bahrain is also moving towards establishing a system that will protect the workers from the moment they leave their home country until they arrive in Bahrain.
Kuwait recently issued a decree prohibiting employers from confiscating the passports or identification papers of workers, a common practice in all Gulf countries.
Lebanon has drafted a new contract for domestic workers that will be translated into 12 languages, so that they will understand the clauses before signing.
In Jordan and in Oman many laws have already been changed, Mattar said.
“We’re working on other Gulf countries to change the laws. We are helping them create a better monitoring system and we will call for a meeting between ministers of labor from the workers’ countries and the Gulf states to sit together in one room, discuss issues and try to find solutions,” she said.
Part of the problem also lay in the home countries that were often reluctant to help workers who had been abused, because they rely heavily on the remittances of the workers, Mattar said.