Good News For Indian Workers in Gulf Countries

Mortad (Balkonda): The Indian government's stance on lowering the minimum salary (minimum referral pay) for workers in Gulf countries has changed. It made it clear that the circular sent to Gulf countries in this respect was being revoked.

Members of the Gulf JAC have informed the Centre that Gulf migrant workers are being exploited as a result of a central government directive published in September and that they are being paid less for their service.

The Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Krishnan, said that the Gulf countries have been advised to apply the same old wages to Indian workers. Muraladheeran made it clear in the Rajya Sabha, "We welcome the decision of the Centre. We welcome the withdrawal of the circulars issued by the Center in the past. The State Department should put pressure on the Gulf countries to raise wages for migrant workers at any time."

-Manda Bhimreddy, President of the Immigrants' Welfare Forum

"The Minimum Referral Wages (MRWs) for employment in six Gulf countries is the same now as it was in 2019-20. For a brief period of 10 months, the MRWs were adjusted downwards to protect our employment in the Gulf. As the labour market stabilized, the earlier MRW was made applicable once more," in answer to a query from M V Shreyams Kumar, union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan told the Rajya Sabha on July 22.

"The Centre has finally agreed to the demand to repeal the circulars issued last September by reducing the minimum referral wages (MRWs) by 30 to 50 per cent for workers going to the six Arab Gulf countries. Gulf migrants are rejoicing over the decision," Emigrants Welfare Forum's Bheem Reddy Mandha claimed as much. The government's move will help roughly 88 lakh Indian workers and employees in Gulf countries.

The Telangana Gulf Workers' Joint Action Committee (Gulf JAC) spearheaded a movement calling for the repeal of the minimum wage reduction circulars. KT Rama Rao, the IT minister, has written to the Prime Minister, and M P KR Suresh Reddy has addressed the issue in the Rajya Sabha. Bheem Reddy Mandha, a Gulf migrant activist, has filed a PIL before the Telangana high court.

In March of this year, a Gulf JAC team visited Delhi during parliament sessions and met with Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraladheeran to discuss wage concerns. Petition signatures were also presented by MPs from all parties. Guggilla Ravi Goud, Swadesh Parkipandla, Patkuri Basanth Reddy, and Kotapati Narasimha Naidu made up the Gulf JAC team.