P J Mathew says the salary structure in GCC countries is not attractive for workers

GULF TIMES SPECIAL

By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter

India, which has historical ties with Arab countries in general and the GCC states in particular, is one of the leading manpower suppliers to Qatar. Indians form the largest community in the Arabian Gulf country with their number estimated to be more than 500,000 out of which a significant portion belongs to the labour class.

Recruitment agencies in India have been sending workers, both skilled and unskilled, to Qatar for almost 50 years. Most of them have very strong links with both the public and private sectors in Qatar. Our interactions with several recruitment agencies during a visit to India revealed a gradual decrease in the number of labourers or unskilled workers being sent to the GCC countries.

The recruitment agents said that many workers were no more interested in working in Gulf countries on account of the low salary. They also hinted the role of middlemen in spoiling the lives of many of the workers. Another reason was the improved living conditions and job opportunities in India itself.

The agencies voiced several concerns of the workers as well as the recruitment fraternity. They highlighted complaints about inadequate accommodation facilities and improper treatment of workers in the Gulf countries. Though New Delhi has banned the recruitment of workers through unauthorised channels, many people still fall victim to fraudsters at both ends, they said.

Representatives of recruitment companies said middlemen in India collect huge amounts from the semi-literate workers who want to secure a job in the Gulf. “They charge very high fees and leave the workers without providing proper contracts or other required documents. Similarly, some middlemen or sub-contractors in the destination countries such as Qatar also exploit these workers by not paying their salary on time and denying them the rights enshrined in the Qatar labour law.”

Abdul Kareem, president of the Indian Personnel Export promotion Council (IPEPC), the apex body of government approved recruitment agencies in India, said that it was increasingly becoming difficult to recruit Indian workers to Qatar and other Gulf countries.

He explained: “Professionals and white collar job seekers still prefer Qatar and other Gulf Countries in a big way. But the GCC countries are no more a preferred destination for most of the labourers. The recruitment agencies in Mumbai which used to be literally crowded with workers every day until a few years ago, wear a deserted look nowadays."

SALARIES 'NOT REVISED'

Kareem pointed out that workers were not happy with the salary and other perks offered in most GCC countries. He explained: “The salary structure in these countries are very old and it has not been revised for so many years. This makes the GCC countries unattractive for Indian workers. ”

Kareem suggested that Qatar and other GCC countries should match the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards to attract more Indian workers.

The official pointed out that a lot of changes have taken place in India of late. He cited the large-scale infrastructure works and other developmental activities in the country. “Huge infrastructural development activities are taking place in different parts of the country. This may not be very much visible in one location as India is a large country. These activities are several folds bigger than what is happening in the GCC countries. This creates great demand for workers domestically,” he remarked.

He added that in fact, the world’s second most populous country is facing a shortage of labourers.

He also cited the hard working conditions in the Gulf, particularly due to the hot weather, and separation from families as other reasons for making the region unattractive to Indians. "This can lead to many psychological and social problems . It is highly difficult, in such a situation, for the workers to continue their work in a foreign land for a very long period. Therefore they need to be paid higher salaries as compensation than what is being paid today.”

P J Mathew, president of Mathew International, Overseas Manpower Consultant, another Mumbai based long- time recruiter, said that his firm had long back stopped recruitment of labourers to the GCC countries including Qatar.

He said: “The salary structure is no more attractive. Many other countries such as former Soviet Union member states are offering better salaries and perks for semi-skilled workers. Therefore, majority of the workers prefer to work with firms in such countries. Moreover, there are a large number of openings in most of the towns and even in villages in India due to the economic boom in the country.”

Mathew, however, pointed out that there was high demand among the Indian professionals for jobs in Qatar. “While the labourers are not interested in moving out to Qatar, the professionals prefer Qatar as one of their favourite destinations. Medical professionals are also highly interested in securing jobs in Qatar due to attractive salary and perks.”

He added that there was a general perception in many countries that labourers are not treated well in the Gulf and this is again another reason for people not going to GCC countries.

Moving from Mumbai to Delhi, the capital of India, there was a slight change in the recruitment scenario. The recruiters opined that inhabitants of some northern states still wanted to take up jobs in the Gulf. John P, managing director of Indus Recruitment and Manpower Consultants, said that many workers from the villages in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar were still looking for opportunities in Qatar and other GCC countries. He added that the most difficult part was to get access to these workers.

John said: “Most of these workers live in remote areas. They can be approached only through middlemen who bring them to the cities for recruitment. In the process these local contacts take huge amounts of commission from the hapless workers."

LACK OF EDUCATION

Another problem that he pointed out was the lack of education among the workers. “They may not understand the content of the contract or the documents given to them. This makes the situation more complicated as the middlemen provide them unrealistic hopes about the pay, perks and other facilities and cheat them.”

A major problem highlighted by another recruiter is the manipulation of contracts and other documents when the workers reach their destination. Subash Kumar of Elite International Manpower Consultants said: “When the workers reach the destination countries, they are completely baffled by the atmosphere and the living conditions over there. These workers have only minimum education and they do not understand most of what is written in the contract.

“There are also cases of the employers over there manipulating the contracts by changing the profession as well as the salary and other perks offered in the original contracts. In some cases, the legal documents are not provided on time, making their stay in the country illegal and liable for action by the officials of the host country."

Kumar noted that middlemen in India exploited the workers by forcing them to pay high amounts as recruitment charges. He stated that they are “a necessary evil” in many cases.

He explained: “It becomes a necessity to engage such middlemen to get the workers from rural areas to the cities. Advertisements for unskilled labourers do not reach them, as they mostly do not read newspapers. Most of them are living in very remote areas. The only way to reach out to them is through the middlemen. These workers do not trust anyone else other than these agents who might be their relatives. As most of these workers are semi-literate, the middlemen work on their behalf and fleece them in the process."

Most of the recruiters were of the view that the government of Qatar effectively enforce the rules and regulations so as to protect the rights of the migrant labourers.

Kareem said: “Qatar has to raise the salary and other perks according to the international standards and avoid the middlemen in the recruitment process. When major companies outsource jobs, the sub-agents try to exploit the situation to their advantage. They manipulate the loopholes in the system and put the migrant labourers at their mercy. As the country is setting the stage for hosting a prestigious event such as the Football World Cup 2022, we are hopeful that the government of Qatar will look into these concerns.”

However, all the recruiters agreed that for every complaint they received, they had scores of testimonies of contentment from people whom they had sent on jobs to Qatar. They were of the view that most of the problems arose when manpower suppliers in Qatar failed to pay workers on time and hosted them in crowded and unhealthy accommodations.

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