Sordid plight of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait
Monday, 4 August 2008
FINALLY the government of Kuwait decided to fix a minimum wage structure for the employees working there in the private sector. Also laudable is its decision about the private-sector employees bearing the insurance, housing and health expenditures of their workers. Previously, according to numerous reported complaints, such expenditures were deducted from the workers' wages. The latest decisions, if properly implemented, are most likely improve the living conditions for the workers there.
The decisions came in the wake of the demonstrations last week by the Bangladeshi and other South Asian workers for increased pay. As such, the decisions do tend to acknowledge the validity of the workers' demand and for which they had to take recourse to demonstration. But the poor Bangladeshi workers and not other South Asians paid heavy price for this. They were beaten mercilessly, they were deported in one cloth and were subjected to many other harassments. This is a blatant violation of the ILO conventions and all international human rights instruments. Should Bangladesh remain silent, or lodge complaints with all international bodies including the United Nations.
Workers on return from Kuwait with blood-stained cloths complained that the Bangladesh embassy remained totally indifferent when they were subjected to inhuman tortures by their employers in Kuwait and the Kuwaiti police. It seems that the government considers that the workers have invited the misery upon themselves.
The government should immediately take up the issues of the Bangladeshi workers about their being tortured and deported back home with its Kuwaiti counterpart. The UN conventions guarantee migrant workers the protection against any form of abuse and discrimination.
Ahmed Ali
Dhanmandi R/A, Dhaka
The decisions came in the wake of the demonstrations last week by the Bangladeshi and other South Asian workers for increased pay. As such, the decisions do tend to acknowledge the validity of the workers' demand and for which they had to take recourse to demonstration. But the poor Bangladeshi workers and not other South Asians paid heavy price for this. They were beaten mercilessly, they were deported in one cloth and were subjected to many other harassments. This is a blatant violation of the ILO conventions and all international human rights instruments. Should Bangladesh remain silent, or lodge complaints with all international bodies including the United Nations.
Workers on return from Kuwait with blood-stained cloths complained that the Bangladesh embassy remained totally indifferent when they were subjected to inhuman tortures by their employers in Kuwait and the Kuwaiti police. It seems that the government considers that the workers have invited the misery upon themselves.
The government should immediately take up the issues of the Bangladeshi workers about their being tortured and deported back home with its Kuwaiti counterpart. The UN conventions guarantee migrant workers the protection against any form of abuse and discrimination.
Ahmed Ali
Dhanmandi R/A, Dhaka