Telangana: Curb fake agents, say Gulf workers

Hyderabad: While governments and Opposition parties are concentrating on the welfare of Gulf workers, workers are asking that the web of fake agents be curbed by maintaining registers and track records.

NRIs settled in Gulf countries say official registrations and issuing of licences to Gulf-based manpower agencies is more important than registrations of migrants.

G. Naresh, of Hyderabad, works as a site engineer with a construction company in Qatar. He said most blue-collar employees who did not have skills were being cheated by agents in Gulf countries.

“The government should register agents from India as well as the Gulf. It should maintain a list of blacklisted agents and white-list. Taking feedback from Gulf returns, the government can add bad agencies, manpower companies and agents in the blacklist. This step can be useful to those seeking jobs in the Gulf in the future,” he said.

Another NRI from Saudi Arabia, said most blue-collar workers are being exploited by agents and manpower companies.

“A few fake agencies are simply seizing passports of Indian workers and selling them to kafils (employers) for domestic help. Mostly, women are becoming victims,” he said.

Mohammed Yousuf, president of Telugu Association of Jeddah, said there was a problem with unskilled workers.

“A company recently brought sugarcane crushing labour from Maharashtra, brick labour from Odisha and construction labour from Telugu states. Those who come to Gulf want to be overnight millionaires; when they get low wages here, they run away to other employers. Before coming to the Gulf, workers should decide what they want to do. Why are Malayalis not complaining about low wages and other issues? They are reaching Gulf through proper channels and working with commitment for years with an employer,” Mr Yousuf said. 

Job seekers urged to take insurance 

NRIs from Gulf are advising job aspirants to take an insurance policy before leaving India. 

The aspirants are urged to take the policy by submitting a copy of the ticket to insurance agencies.

Mr Shaik Chand Pasha said that Pravas Bharatiya Bima Yojana Policy was the best for Gulf workers. 

“It has a two-year validity with Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia. It costs Rs 600 and covers accidents including at  the site and on the road and murders among others,” Mr Chand Pasha said.

He said that that earlier families of Gulf workers used to spend Rs 2 lakh to bring back bodies. 

“In a few cases, the families used to hand over the responsibility of conducting the funeral in the Gulf countries to known persons. Now, the insurance policy can pay for bringing back the bodies,” he said.