| End of 'modern-day slavery' in the Persian Gulf region? |
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Sun, 23 Aug 2009 The lives of thousands of foreign workers working in the Persian Gulf littoral states under appalling conditions may be transformed with new legislations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Without the backbreaking labor of hundreds of thousands of workers coming from the Indian Subcontinent and further away, Dubai's Palm Island, Qatar's shining skyscrapers and Abu Dhabi's construction bonanza would not have been possible, reports al-Alam TV. The economies of the oil sheikhdoms around the Persian Gulf function on the backs of thousands of migrant workers, whose precious residence permits are tied to their work permits, and who can change their places of employments only with the permission of their employers. According to human rights organizations, a complaint by a foreign worker in these countries is equivalent to the loss of his livelihood. Bahrain's Minister of Labor compares the present working conditions of migrant laborers to those from the slavery era. "It is no surprise that Bahrain has been a pioneer in passing such legislations," says Tariq Yousef, a political scientist in Dubai. In Yousef's opinion, Bahrain enjoys greater political and press freedoms than other countries around the Persian Gulf. However, Qatar's situation is different as can be seen by the world as a black stain on the white robes of the Persian Gulf littoral states. Unemployment is a major problem in these Arab sheikhdoms. Strenuous tasks are carried out by lowly-paid workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Better job offers are often allocated to better-qualified staff, mostly from western countries. In Bahrain, if someone employs a foreign worker, then he must pay a tax to the state to be used for training the domestic workforce. In Yousef's opinion, local employers are very resistant to new legislations. "Now employers must compete with each other over wages for foreign workers in order to attract sufficient workforce. No longer is the refusal to permit a place of employment enough for the employers," says Yousef. "In my view, the new legislation will generate a new movement in the jobs market." A while ago, Kuwait also brought in reforming employment laws. Under these laws, if someone had worked continuously in the country for two years, he could change his place of employment without the need to secure his employer's consent. Yousef believes that the United Arab Emirates will follow Bahrain's reformist lead. However, many do not put much hope in these new employment laws, especially in the construction industry, where the bosses will resist fiercely, since the old laws were very much in their favor. One researcher at the 'Gulf Research Center' in Dubai says: "In this country there is no funding for workers' training. When they lose their jobs, they receive no wages, and no pension." ZAP/SME/MMA
Comments (1)
a guest
said:
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... I think Dubai is just as bad as home... The USA is no better! The only difference between the two is one tells pretty lies. Both promote slavery. |
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