India on way to sign MoUs with Gulf states on labour issues

Dubai, Oct 11 (UNI) India and Oman are all set to sign a bilateral comprehensive agreement on labour issues in order to regulate recruitment, sponsorship and workers' rights.

The agreement will essentially focus on the interests of Indian workers in the Gulf countries.

''We are in the process of signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oman and other Arab Gulf states such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to work together in order to achieve common goals and sustainable solutions to ease labour problems,'' Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told the Times of Oman.

''Our priority is to find a sustainable solution. We have already initiated the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Gulf countries to ensure job security for non-resident Indian workers,'' he said.

These MoUs will be a landmark in the history of Indo-Gulf relations, he added.

Often, India was unable to intervene in labour issues related to the interests of Indian workers abroad because of the absence of a comprehensive agreement but these MoUs are certainly expected to solve this long lasting problem, the Minister noted.

Meanwhile, the MoUs are expected to be signed by the end of this year or early next year, sources said..

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