Abu Dhabi, May 27: Indian Overseas Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi met UAE Labour Minister Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash here on Wednesday as part of the initiatives to renew the memorandum of understanding to streamline the labour mobility between the two countries.
The existing MoU was signed in 2006 and is valid till December 2010.
The two sides have agreed to expand the scope of the existing MoU and to usher in more control over the recruitment agencies to avoid cheating of the Indian workers migrating here, Vayalar Ravi told journalists on the sidelines of the interactive session organised by the Community Welfare Department of the Indian Embassy at the India Social Centre.
The technical committee comprising experts from both the sides would meet in Abu Dhabi in July to discuss the details of the MoU renewal. “We are optimistic of signing the renewed MoU before December itself,” Ravi said.
He said efforts were on to ensure that working conditions offered by the recruitment agencies in India during the recruitment process were adhered to when the workers actually migrate and start working here.
“The UAE has taken several measures like the Wage Protection System, improving the civic conditions in the labour accommodation units and abandoning the rule that the employees should submit guarantees for settling labour dues. These steps have improved the conditions of the workers significantly.”
The Indian Government has taken steps to ensure that the compensation for the relatives of those killed in the recent air crash in Mangalore would be disbursed in the stipulated time-frame. The Civil Aviation Ministry has been urged to constitute special committees to expedite this.
The minister also appealed to the community associations in the UAE to cooperate with the authorities to ensure that the compensation amounts reached the genuine people.
Ravi said he was prepared to expand the coverage of the Community Welfare Fund set up under the Indian Missions abroad so that more distressed migrant workers would get benefit.
The Empost unit in Al Ain which is undertaking outsourced services of the Indian Embassy would be open on Fridays and would have holidays on Saturday as per the request of the embassy.
–Agencies