Better times for migrant workers

A Saudi Arabian ad agency is planning to air public service commercials to promote kinder treatment to domestic helpers, a report from Riyadh states.

The ads creatively put together have also introduced an Islamic element extolling the virtues of mercy to one's fellow beings. The move it is hoped will bring solace to many Lankan housemaids who have been enduring much hardship at the hands of their employers, going by newspaper accounts.

We also hope that this call for mercy would have the desired effect of obtaining a reprieve for death row Lankan Housemaid Rizana Nafeek.

It would be ideal if these ads could be picked up and beamed over here so that this would allay the fears of prospective job seekers who may have been put back by some of the horror stories they hear from returning Lankan housemaids.

There is much more that needs to be done by our envoys in the Middle East to ensure that Lankan females are spared from predatory elements. It is not only about maltreatment from employers. There are other sharks too waiting to prey on these innocents once they set foot on an alien land.

We also frequently come across stories of how our housemaids are fleeced by unscrupulous job agencies and of young women stranded at airports with no representative to receive them. All is not rosy yet for our housemaids in the Middle East even after the waning of the Middle Eastern job boom with many horror stories emanating from the deserts.

Hence it is imperative that all necessary steps be taken by our authorities to secure a conducive working environment for our expat Lankans who bring in the shekels.

Time was when this segment of our brethren was left to fend for themselves with no official level attention to their plight. This situation has now changed with the Government getting more directly involved to secure a better working environment for them.

However, the structures that are put in place need to be further strengthened to ensure that our expat workers are not only protected from harm but also to obtain a better deal in their terms of their employment. Foreign Employment Promotion Minister Keheliya Rambukwella is due to visit Saudi Arabia at the end of this month.

We trust he would seek to obtain the best of terms for our migrant labour. He is expected to take up the issues related to basic salaries for unskilled workers, employment agreements, common labour problems and the supply of skilled manpower among other issues.

While the Minister's concerns affecting our unskilled labour are to be appreciated more needs to be done to expand the pool of our skilled workforce. This dearth of skilled personnel was brought home to roost when it was revealed that some 10,000 jobs in South Korea went a begging recently due to the failure of Lankans to fit in.

Hence the need to reassess if all our skills development programmes are carried out meaningfully. Even the unskilled domestic worker today is required to acquire certain basic skills in order to meet the demands of modern requirements.

The chance missed on the South Korean front should awaken the authorities to make a reappraisal of skills development programmes that are being presently carried out. A periodic assessment needs to be made to identify the demands not only in Middle Eastern job markets but in other countries as well.

We should cast the net wider so that Lankans would be in demand in the world job market. This while helping to earn much needed foreign exchange would also help build the image of the country.

Minister Rambukwella is also reported to be planning to meet the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia to obtain the release of Rizana. We hope his mission would be fruitful in this month of Ramadan which promotes the virtue of mercy.