As India begins to evacuate citizens from Gulf, many migrants are anxious about their futures

The Indian government will launch the world’s largest evacuation mission to bring back lakhs of Indians stranded abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic this week. At least 10 flights will be operated on Thursday, the first day of the operation. This will be followed by flights over the coming days to, among other places, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

These six states – which together form the grouping Gulf Cooperation Council – have had long economic, cultural and diasporic ties with India. By some estimates, eight to nine million Indians work in the region. Half of them are unskilled, 30% semi-skilled, and the rest skilled. Altogether, they contribute half of the foreign exchange remittances to India – not an insignificant amount when the total is $69 billion, or Rs 5.2 lakh crore.

The migrant workers’ return from the Gulf Cooperation Council region will, undoubtedly, prompt a tide of heartening coverage in the media. But what do these workers want? We had set out to answer this question last month after the Supreme Court told them to stay put where they are. We surveyed 40 migrants and conducted 15 in-depth interviews in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The responses were revealing.

Most migrants wanted an assurance of continued work, protection of work contracts and residence permits. As an immediate measure, they required financial assistance to stay afloat, relaxation in payment of expenses (such as rent, loans, EMIs) and affordable healthcare. Only a quarter of the respondents – those left highly vulnerable because loss of jobs or having health risks – wanted to return home.

Job losses

All the respondents knew at least one person who had lost their job amid the Covid-19 crisis, and half of them reported that their companies were laying off people, mostly migrants. Among those furloughed or retrenched were people in sales, services, hotel industry, or lower down the order in the financial sector.

Skilled labour and healthcare workers escaped the pandemic’s economic toll. But even among them, and others still employed, there were apprehensions. A few were given their salaries in January or February, but not in March. Some were facing a 25% cut in salary for the next three months. Many were unsure if their contracts would be extended, and others were worried they would lose their job if they leave the country.

Seth*, who works as a factory worker in the UAE, said he could not go back to India despite earning very little. The sole breadwinner in his family of six, he has “loans to repay”. “My company gives me accommodation,” he said. “If its factory shuts down and I lose my job, it will be difficult to continue here.”

Vinod and Ahmed were in the same boat. Both lost their jobs in the midst of the pandemic and were left vulnerable. Vinod, a technician in Kuwait, who stays in a rented apartment with friends, hadn’t been able to send money home. And Ahmed, 52, who moved to Qatar in January, was let go while still in his probation period: “I didn’t get any money, including airfare, which they are supposed to provide if the contract is terminated early.”

Financial distress

A major concern of our respondents was rent. A reduction in salary, or working hours, had left a quarter of them unable to pay rent. Almost half of the respondents couldn’t send money home. On top of that, many had loans to repay. One respondent from the UAE said, “I have a personal loan of Rs 88,000 per month. But for the next three months, my company is deducting a quarter of my salary and sending me on one week’s compulsory leave without pay every month.”

We also spoke to a few people who got caught in the lockdown while on their annual leave. And though they might not have been laid off, they had been asked to go on unpaid leave, with no clarity on future prospects. Raj, a cook in Oman, said, “After almost two years, I came home for 56 days on unpaid leave. I was supposed to be back by the second week of March, but as Qatar imposed a ban on travellers from India, I couldn’t. My work contract will expire by June. I am worried about my chances of going back.”

While most countries have come up with strong measures to protect native workers, their safeguards for migrant workers are not comparable. Private companies can, by mutual agreement, offer migrant employees options such as remote working, paid or unpaid leave, temporary or permanent salary cut. There are provisions for moving between jobs, extension of residence and work permits without fees or at lower fees and protection of entitlements. For example, the UAE has set up a Virtual Labour Market System for unemployed foreign workers to find alternative jobs.

* Names of respondents have been changed.

The authors are Assistant Professors at NMIMS University, Mumbai.