Opinion Death of a worker: Qatar deaths should prod a reorienting of public policy for migrant workers

In November, as fans from across the world arrive in Qatar to watch arguably the greatest soccer spectacle in the world at eight state-of-the-art stadiums, few are likely to remember the thousands of labourers, a large number from India, who built these stadiums and paid a price for it. An investigation by this newspaper has found that at least 40 people have died in Qatar since 2010 when FIFA awarded World Cup 2022 to the Gulf kingdom. However, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Qatari organisation in charge of delivering the event, has said only three of these deaths were work related. This newspaper tracked down the families of nine of the dead and found they have not received any compensation and their questions concerning the death of loved ones remain unanswered. The Supreme Committee has admitted that there is “room for improvement” in enhancing standards of welfare, but a part of the responsibility also lies with the Indian government — Union and state — for ensuring the well-being of the migrant workforce.

Migrant workers constitute a large chunk of the Indian diaspora — over 8 million Indians live and work in the Gulf countries and their annual remittances constitute over $25 billion. A majority of them are semi-skilled or unskilled and hence vulnerable to exploitation by employers. Many of them are recruited through the visa sponsorship system that ties a foreign worker’s residency permit to a sponsor. This system is exploited by agents and sponsors/employers to recruit labourers desperate for employment under lopsided conditions. That the administrations in Gulf nations are non-transparent, do not recognise labour rights nor allow unionisation makes a fraught situation worse. The availability of cheap and footloose global labour also reduces their bargaining power. In this backdrop, issues of labour welfare do not have easy solutions. Measures such as pre-departure (from India) training may help inform migrant workers about their rights and equip them to deal with crises at labour sites and camps, especially when contractual obligations are dishonoured by the employer. Indian embassies need to prioritise the concerns of migrant workers. The Centre could start a conversation with governments in the Gulf on improving oversight in contract enforcement and labour welfare. These migrant workers are Indian passport holders and their well-being must be a priority for the Indian state.

Advertisement

States such as Kerala, the pioneer in exporting labour to Gulf countries since large-scale emigration started in the 1970s, have created institutional checks and systems to build a safety net for migrant workers. For instance, the nodal agency for non-resident Keralites — NORKA ROOTS — offers personal accident insurance cover upto Rs 4 lakh and critical care coverage of Rs 1 lakh besides liaising with Gulf-based community organisations and the government in critical situations, including for repatriation of people. Outward migration from India is unlikely to subside in the near future even though wages in Gulf nations are no longer competitive. Public policy must factor in these trends and include measures to address migrants’ concerns.