India, UAE to build mechanism to help workers

Dubai, May 11: India and UAE have decided to set up a workers' grievance redressal mechanism to address problems faced by Indian labourers in the gulf countries, officials have said.

An announcement to this effect was made yesterday by visiting Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and UAE Labour Minister Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi. They said officials from both sides would hold monthly meetings to sort out workers' complaints including non-payment of wages.

The decision is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) signed by the two countries in March this year.

The first Joint Committee meeting set up under the MoU also decided that a monthly meeting would be held among officers of the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate in Dubai and the UAE Labour Ministry.

Feedback from such meetings will form the basis for discussion at the evaluation meeting to be held in October in New Delhi, Mr Ravi said.

Among the measures discussed were proposals for the payment of salary through banks, compulsory health insurance scheme, better housing and smart cards to prevent malpractices such as substitution of work contracts.

The two countries would also cooperate in setting up a unified system where important travel documents and visas could be crosschecked.

Both ministers emphasised that one of the main issues is to provide solutions for tackling the illegal entry of workers into the UAE, which could include lifetime ban on them in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

The joint committee also discussed the setting up of a task force for bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including tourism, hospitality and construction.

UNI