Kuwait wants to lower reliance on foreign workers and clamp down on visa traders after Asian workers staged violent protests in the the country, the labour minister said. Hundreds of mainly Bangladeshi workers staged demonstrations in the state in July to demand better pay and working conditions amid inflation of about 11 percent. The protests turned violent and some workers overturned cars and ransacked offices. Hundreds of Bangladeshis were deported.
Social Affairs and Labour Minister Bader Al-Duwaila told a special parliament session that the government was studying in which areas nationals could replace expatriates.
"There is a study of the labour market needs ... with the goal to reduce dependence on foreign workers," he said.
Duwaila said Kuwait may set up a company to organise immigration of expatriates and ensure their rights are not violated after workers complained unscrupulous employers deducted housing, medical and meal costs from their salaries.
The government was considering scrapping a system under which foreigners have to be sponsored by a Kuwaiti to get a work permit, the minister said.
Expatriates make up two-thirds of Kuwait's population of 3.2 million. "It is about time to cancel the sponsorship system and set up a state company to hire expatriates," MP Ali Al-Rashed said.
Parliament approved recommendations asking the government to reveal names of visa traders, and a plan to teach workers about their legal and financial rights in their own languages.
The recommendations also included putting a five-year cap on residency for low-skilled labourers, limiting the percentage of any nationality to a maximum 10 percent of the total expatriate population. - Reuters
POSTED BY :-
PALLAVI SINGH
PGDM-3rd sem
Social Affairs and Labour Minister Bader Al-Duwaila told a special parliament session that the government was studying in which areas nationals could replace expatriates.
"There is a study of the labour market needs ... with the goal to reduce dependence on foreign workers," he said.
Duwaila said Kuwait may set up a company to organise immigration of expatriates and ensure their rights are not violated after workers complained unscrupulous employers deducted housing, medical and meal costs from their salaries.
The government was considering scrapping a system under which foreigners have to be sponsored by a Kuwaiti to get a work permit, the minister said.
Expatriates make up two-thirds of Kuwait's population of 3.2 million. "It is about time to cancel the sponsorship system and set up a state company to hire expatriates," MP Ali Al-Rashed said.
Parliament approved recommendations asking the government to reveal names of visa traders, and a plan to teach workers about their legal and financial rights in their own languages.
The recommendations also included putting a five-year cap on residency for low-skilled labourers, limiting the percentage of any nationality to a maximum 10 percent of the total expatriate population. - Reuters
POSTED BY :-
PALLAVI SINGH
PGDM-3rd sem
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