Eighteen member countries of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) have  adopted the Colombo declaration on Labour recruitment.  The fourth ministerial consultation meeting of the ADD  held in Colombo on January 24 with participation of 18 Foreign Employment Ministers of the ADD member countries.

A Qatari delegation representing the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs attended the meeting.

All member states agreed on the importance of the need of comprehensive information and orientation programmes for migrant workers.

The Colombo Declaration stated that member countries agreed to cooperate on the design and implementation of coordinated pre departure and post arrival orientation programmes, in addition to cooperation on promoting fair and transparent labour recruitment practices and in the field of skill development and skill recognition.

The declaration emphasised that members have agreed to cooperate in the use of technology and to engage their region in the Global Dialogue on Migration Governance.

The ADD member countries include eleven manpower exporting countries; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Philippines and seven countries receiving expatriate workers; which are the six GCC states and Malaysia.

G.S Withanage, Secretary of Foreign Employment told The Peninsula that countries exporting manpower and sending labour to the GCC countries needed to have strong regulatory mechanism that will ensure migrant workers safety in the recruitment sector.

“The process of recruitment should be regulated by regulatory authority and strong regulatory mechanisms. If workers will be going through such regulatory procedures, there will be no problem in recruitment,” he said, adding: “Migrant workers will have the option to either choose government agency or any private agency to find overseas job but in both conditions, they will be safe and secure”.

Asked his view on the latest legislative measures taken by some GCC countries including Qatar to improve the work and living conditions of the migrant workers William Lacy Swing, Director General of International Organisation for Migration told this daily, “The establishment of Abu Dhabi Dialogue and the Ministerial Meeting here in Colombo are interesting aspects of  an attitude to bring improvement. GCC countries and countries from South Asia can manage all these issues together through dialogue without compromising their interests and national sovereignty.

Dialogue process should continue on regular basis.”

The Colombo Declaration has recognised a large degree of progress in enhancing temporary contract employees and quality of lives, Swing added.

Swing emphasised that the member countries have adopted some significant guidelines, and the group will endorse ILO information report and labour recruitment.  

The clear guideline is to expand the orientation and information programme. Cultural and other orientations will be very helpful for them in having a reasonable comfort as migrants coming to new societies.

The guideline put together partners from the ADD and the Colombo process to design and implement the expansion of the cultural and orientation and programme.

The Ministerial Consultation discussed four thematic areas namely, Labour Recruitment, Skills driven labour market policies, The use of technology in the governance of labour mobility and Global compact on labour migration.

Jaber Al Ali, Public Relation Officer at the Public Authority of Manpower in Kuwait told The Peninsula that ADD started in 2008 and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue got its beginning in Abu Dhabi. It is a forum that brings together countries sending migrant workers and those receiving them.

It is consultative mechanism which is not mandatory. The meetings always result in bilateral or collective activities to conduct studies in collaboration with international organizations like ILO, World Migration Organisation to implement pilot projects on labour recruitments.

“Our aim is to solve challenges facing the country of origin and destinations through bilateral or collective cooperation,” Al Ali said.

Main challenges include recruitment process, awareness of law skilled workers, problems facing the expatriate workers with manpower agencies based in countries of their origin which sale fake job opportunities, send workers without signing job contracts upon verbal promises.

It is good forum to explain the role being played by the GCC states as countries of destinations, amendments of legislative, and these challenges can be solved without having bilateral or collective cooperation between the concerned countries.

In regard to some voices demanding inclusion of domestic helps in labour law said Kuwait has recently issued a law regulating the work and rights of these workers including working hours, payments and annual leave and other aspects.    

The Colombo  meeting was inaugurated by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The chair in office of the ADD transferred to the Minister of Foreign Employment in Sri Lanka from Kuwait.

(The Peninsula)