keralaWoes of migrant workers come to the fore

The COVID-19 pandemic has piled on the misery for migrant workers abroad with many suffering job losses and rampant wage theft. Some families also withdrew children from schools owing to fee default.

The crisis has also paved the way for many migrants to pursue illegal way for employment, often exposing themselves to exploitation. A plethora of issues faced by non-resident Keralites (NoRKs) came to the fore at an open forum held on the sidelines of the Loka Kerala Sabha on Saturday.

P.M. Jabir, the Muscat-based migrant rights activist, said problems faced by migrants particularly, in the Middle East, had increased manifold in the post-pandemic world. “Numerous workers have faced salary cuts as high as 50-60% and are witnessing their service conditions being flouted by exploitative employers. There has also been an increase in undocumented migrant workers with employers refusing to renew their work visas,” he said.

Former diplomat and Officer on Special Duty on external cooperation of the State government Venu Rajamony highlighted the threat of unskilled migrant workers getting duped, trafficked, and exploited in large numbers.

In the absence of a democratic system and free press in Gulf countries, the former Consul General of India in Dubai stressed the relevance of close coordination between diplomatic missions and Indian associations to share vital information and initiate steps to rescue those in difficulty.

The onset of the pandemic had found many countries looking inwards with scant regard for others. With many European countries opting to “raise their national barriers”, less privileged nations faced less access to vaccines and other assistance, he said.

Mr. Rajamony also felt only skilled workers might be able to migrate in the years to come, raising relevance of the need to upgrade skill training in their places of origin.

Kerala State Planning Board expert member and travel documentary film-maker Santhosh George Kulangara proposed the creation of a ‘job portal’ that could link skilled NoRK returnees with job providers.

Economist K.N. Harilal, who moderated the discussion, said migrant life was bound to undergo significant changes in the aftermath of several global issues, including the pandemic, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and increasing fuel price.