117 Malaysian firms on govt blacklist

NEW DELHI: Malaysia may the hottest tourist destination in South East Asia but it surely isn''t the hottest destination for work any more.
The country that once attracted Indian labour in large numbers, is slowly being edged out of the preference list. The incident of a 19-year-old girl of Indian origin, Sonia Sharma, being tortured by her Malaysian employer has sent warning signals to Indians there.
Overseas Indian affairs (OIA) minister Jagdish Tytler lodged an official protest with the Malaysian government and ensured that a police case was lodged and Sharma''s employer was arrested within 48 hours. But to set things right at home itself, the government plans a stricter emigration policy and a watch on foreign employers to ensure Indian workers are not exploited abroad.
The largest number of firms blacklisted by the protectorate of emigrants in India is from Malaysia: 117. Saudi Arabia has 65 companies on the black list, Qatar, 14 and Kuwait, 11. Following the incident of three Indians being held hostage by Iraq''s militants, the ban on working there continues.
No European country is listed; officials say that the strict labour laws in these countries prevent exploitation of workers. "Countries like the US, UK and Canada have strict labour laws and Indian workers are treated at par with others," said a senior officer in the protectorate of emigrants. "The list of black-listed companies is based on the reports and recommendations from our and embassies abroad," he said.
Once blacklisted, it''s difficult to get back into the good books of the Indian government. "These are firms which have not treated Indian workers well in the past by either not paying salaries in time or not having proper working conditions," the official added. Some of the companies have even wrongfully withheld the passports of Indian workers, mistreated them or not fulfilled the conditions in the contract.
The government is also getting strict with some recruiting agencies by cancelling their licences.