 "Kuwait fire tragedy: How migrant workers live and work in poor conditions in the Gulf nation")
A fire in an apartment building in Kuwait that killed at least 49 people, most of them Indians, has put focus on the living and working conditions of migrants in the Gulf country. As many as 42 Indians are believed to have died in the blaze that engulfed the building housing foreign workers in the Mangaf area, south of Kuwait City, early Wednesday (12 June) morning.
Several injured are being treated at hospitals. Minister of State (External Affairs) Kirti Vardhan Singh visited one of the hospitals in Kuwait today (13 June) where seven wounded Indians were admitted.
MoS @KVSinghMPGonda visited Mubarak Al Kabeer hospital in Kuwait where 7 injured Indians are admitted. MoS ascertained their well being & assured them of all support from GoI. He also appreciated hospital authorities, doctors and nurses for taking good care of the Indians. pic.twitter.com/faKtaNc9Wc
— India in Kuwait (@indembkwt) June 13, 2024
Condoling the deaths, Indian politicians, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, have flagged the poor conditions of the workers in West Asia in the wake of the Kuwait fire tragedy.
Let’s take a closer look.
Indians in Kuwait
Kuwait has a population of over 48 lakh people, of which 21 per cent are Indians.
As per the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) of Kuwait figures, the country’s population comprised 16 lakh citizens and 33 lakh expatriates as of last December.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOf the total population, 61 per cent (nearly 30 lakhs) are labourers and workers, who make up 75 per cent of the Gulf country’s total expat population, reported Indian Express.
Indians continue to be the largest expatriate community in Kuwait with over 10 lakh estimated population.
Most Indians are employed as unskilled and semi-skilled workers such as carpenters, masons, domestic workers, food delivery riders and drivers in Kuwait. Some expatriates also work as engineers, doctors, chartered accountants, scientists, software experts, management consultants, architects, technicians, nurses and retail traders in the country.
ALSO READ: Kuwait fire: Who were the Indian victims killed in the tragedy?
Why does the Gulf attract Indians?
Workers travel to the Gulf to earn better wages and because of the high demand for unskilled Indian workers.
As Indian Express noted, studies show that even low-skilled workers get higher pay in the Gulf nations if they have the required experience in the domestic labour market.
As per the International Labour Organisation norms, the minimum referral wages (MRW) for Indian labourers in Kuwait was fixed between $300-1,050 (Rs 25,000-87,715) in 2016 across 64 categories of work.
While carpenters, masons, drivers and pipefitters earn $300 per month, heavy vehicle drivers and domestic workers are paid slightly better in Kuwait.
Woes of Indian migrants in Kuwait
From discrimination to poor working conditions, Indian labourers face several issues in Kuwait.
According to Human Rights Watch, migrant workers, who account for two-thirds of Kuwait’s population, are vulnerable to abuse, forced labour and deportation for minor infractions.
Despite reforms, they do not enjoy legal protections.
Workers who migrate to Gulf countries – Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain – are tied to their employers due to the kafala system.
This is an “exploitative employer-employee labour contract system”, as per an IndiaSpend report, which defines the relationship between foreign workers and their local sponsors/employers.
The system exposes migrant workers to exploitation by employers who have control over their employee’s movement and employment.
From 2019 to 30 June 2023, the Indian embassies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries received a total of 48,095 labour complaints from Indian migrant workers, as per the IndiaSpend report.
As many as 23,020 complaints were from workers in Kuwait, 9,346 complaints from Saudi Arabia, over 7,000 from Oman, 3,652 from the UAE, 2,702 from Bahrain and 1,709 from Qatar, the report mentioned.
According to the Indian embassy in Kuwait, the labour complaints include non-payment of wages; unfair working conditions, including lack of proper food; and harassment.
A report came to light in July 2023 that 83 Nepali youths who travelled to Kuwait for work in 2022 were stranded in the Gulf country after their passports were confiscated by their employers upon their arrival, so they could not return home. Their wages were also not for at least six months.
Not just work but even the living conditions of migrant workers are often miserable. Many times, migrant workers have to stay in cramped rooms in semi-constructed buildings or in labour camps like the Mangaf one that caught fire, reported Indian Express.
As per a Gulf International Forum report, climate change also affects the quality of life of migrant workers in Kuwait, especially labourers who have to work in harsh summers amid a lack of proper air conditioning.
Domestic migrant workers also bear the brunt as scorching temperatures have resulted in families staying indoors, increasing employees’ work, the report noted.
What can India do?
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called on the Indian government to draft a Bill to ensure decent work conditions and security for the Indian migrant workers.
“More than five years ago when I chaired the parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs, I requested the Government to prepare an updated Emigration Bill to ensure decent conditions of work and security for our migrant workers. I am shocked that five years later there is still no Bill. I urge the government to address this issue at the earliest and draft a serious bill in consultation with all stakeholders.”
“When Indian workers are sent abroad, they must have contractual assurances of decent conditions of life, work, pay & residence before they leave our shores,” Tharoor added.
This tragedy is a reminder of the terrible privations our migrant workers undergo in their efforts to support their families at home. More than five years ago when I chaired the parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs, I requested the Government to prepare an updated… https://t.co/VsCk74urnT
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 12, 2024
The Emigration Bill 2021 remains on the back burner. Last March, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) admitted in a Parliamentary session the need to upgrade the Emigration Act to deal with issues concerning migrants. However, the ministry said the process to prepare a preliminary version of the Emigration Bill after consultation with all parties was still underway.
Stressing the need for such a law, journalist Rejimon Kuttappan wrote for Deccan Herald (DH), “It is true that the high levels of unemployment force Indians to migrate even through risky routes. But the fact is that in addition to failing to provide decent jobs in India the government is also failing to provide safe, orderly, and regular migration opportunities in the absence of an updated Emigration Act.”
The Kuwait fire is a tragic reminder of how Indian workers live in precarious conditions abroad. The ball is now in the court of our lawmakers to ensure their predicament changes and they are better protected.
With inputs from agencies
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