Centre rules out revising referral wages for Gulf workers

HYDERABAD: Despite the pleas of various organisations, the Centre has decided not to roll back the minimum referral wages (MRWs) fixed for

Gulf workers

. The organisations said thousands of Indian workers in the

Gulf

are affected because of the Centre’s decision to reduce the minimum wages in two circulars issued last year.

Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said in Parliament on Wednesday that there was no proposal to further revise the MRW which was reviewed recently in view of the economic situation due to Covid-19.“The government should review its decision and do what benefits Indian workers,” said Bheem Reddy Mandha, president of Emigrants Welfare Forum. He pointed out that the Qatar government had enacted a law to pay workers of all nationalities a minimum wage of 1,000 riyals a month, 500 riyals for accommodation and 300 riyals for food. “But, the Indian government offered to send its workers for only 728 riyals (USD 200),” Bheem Reddy said.

Responding to a question by a member in the Lok Sabha, minister Muraleedharan said the MRW was revised in Bahrain, Oman, the UAE and Qatar and fixed at $200, the MRW in Saudi Arabia was fixed at $324 and in Kuwait at $245 for work visa holders and $196 for domestic sector workers. The MRW fixed by the Centre gives the liberty for employers in the Gulf and the mentioned countries to pay only the minimum wage fixed by the government of India. Earlier, the amount was more but the GoI itself reduced the wages.

Giving out figures, the minister said Indian migrant workers who registered on e-Migrate to work in Kuwait during 2020 were 8,102, in Qatar 8,907, in Oman 7,206, in Saudi Arabia 44,316, in UAE 17,891 and in Bahrain 4,175. The minister also gave figures on the number of labour complaints received by Indian embassies in various Gulf countries.