Parliament urges government to expose residency traders, lower reliance on expat manpower
Al Watan staff
and agencies
KUWAIT: Islamist MP Jamaan AlÜHarbash has claimed that agents from Iran''s Revolutionary Guards are likely among the expatriates who went on a rampage recently to demand better wages and living conditions.
According to the lawmaker, the issue of expatriate workers poses a real threat to the country''s overall security.
"We have 1.3 million expatriate workers in the country," he disclosed, adding that the situation in the region, particularly concerning Iran, require constant alertness.
Meanwhile, MP Khaled Bin Issa has reiterated confidence in the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Bader AlÜDuwailah, but urged him to get rid of what he described as "rotten" gangs within and outside his ministry.
For his part, MP Ahmed AlÜMulaifi lamented the rampant corruption in the country, adding that public funds are being disbursed to secure loyalties. "Corruption has become alarmingly rife," the lawmaker stated.
MP Abdulaziz AlÜShayji, in the meantime, accused unnamed officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs of being implicated in the labor saga, while MP Mubarak AlÜWaalan urged relevant authorities to reveal the identities of those involved in breaching the law.
Furthermore, MP Hussein AlÜQallaf suggested that the violators shouldn''t only be dismissed but should also face the full force of the law.
MP Ali AlÜOmair, meanwhile, asked that another extraordinary session be held to unveil the names of persons implicated in visa trafficking, among other malpractices.
Also, informed sources have revealed that Minister of Social Affairs and Labor has suspended certain officials at the labor sector for dereliction of duty.
Also during the extraordinary parliamentary session held on Wednesday, AlÜDuwailah affirmed that the ministry is serious about combating "residency dealers" by taking legal action against violators.
He reiterated the government''s transparency and clarity in dealing with the Parliament over all matters pertinent to the dossier of incoming laborers.
In this context, he pointed to recent labor strikes and riots by Bangladeshi workers which negatively affected services at key State authorities and departments, mainly hospitals and social care societies.
In dealing with such labor problems, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor requested employers to fulfill their workers'' legitimate demands, chiefly regarding pay, health insurance, accommodation and better work conditions, he said.
The Cabinet instructed a ministerial legal panel to conduct an allÜout study of labor issues and then to send it a detailed report within three months time.
It also asked ministries and state agencies as well as the Central Tenders Committee to include a condition in contracts with cleaning and security firms, ensuring a minimum pay of 40 Kuwaiti dinars for cleaning workers and KD 70 for security guards without any deductions for accommodation, health insurance, transportation or any other matters, he added.
Some 27 firms which hold 82 governmental contracts were sent for investigation at the Interior Ministry for violating labor accommodation criteria and requirements, the minister affirmed.
Another 29 firms are also being investigated for failing to transfer workers'' pay to banks as scheduled.
The Central Tenders Committee was asked to stop dealing with five companies for breaking labor rules, AlÜDuwailah said.
Accordingly, most employers have begun to improve labor accommodation conditions and to pay workers minimum salaries.
However, the minister admitted that the ministry''s labor sector, which supervises incoming workers from 168 countries, is locked into many problems, mainly bureaucracy, old buildings and outdated systems.
Therefore, he vowed to reconsider regulations governing the sector, to build new facilities, to offer integrated systems and to train specialized labor cadres.
He reiterated governmental earnestness in the fight against residency dealers through appropriate legal action against violators.
To tide over labor issues in Kuwait, the ministry will seek to reform labor legislation in order to cope with Arab and international developments and to improve labor conditions in the private sector and finally to choose incoming manpower on a scientific and professional basis, the minister said.
The ministry has already worked out a draft law on work in the private sector as a prelude to referring it to the National Assembly in its coming session.
Two accommodation sites have been allocated for cleaning and security workers at the Sabhan Industrial Area and the AlÜShadadia area, he said.
To combat human trafficking, the ministry will use an unused school as a temporary sheltering center for human trafficking victims, he said, noting that a ministerial decree would be issued to prevent employers from keeping their employees'' passports.
He also revealed that booklets in various languages, containing information on workers'' rights and duties, have already been compiled.
A telephone line has also been allocated to receive labor complaints or information on human trafficking.
Furthermore, the ministry is now thrashing out rules aimed at restructuring and regulating the labor market in the private sector; an alternative to the sponsor system and a new Kuwaiti jointÜstock company for recruiting foreign workers for governmental projects as per the specific criteria, he concluded.
Last updated on Thursday 11/9/2008
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