The dark layers of overseas work

Of late, the topic has been the plight of migrants, mostly illegal, but, as the complex phenomenon of overseas work begins to unravel, the hitherto hidden inner layers of so-called “legitimate work” in foreign lands has also come under the spotlight.

With the current revelation that most of the ones stranded at sea near the coastlines of South East Asian nations, are Bangladeshis aspiring for a better life in another country, all types of foreign employment is now being deconstructed.

The end picture is hardly a hope inducing one.

While the case of the illegal migrants suffering in dire conditions deserves to be dealt with immediate priority, there is also a necessity to look into the other side of the picture — where legal workers also live in a state of semi-slavery.

To bring the matter into context, recently, a BBC team investigating the living conditions of mostly South Asian workers in Qatar, was imprisoned because it moved away from the carefully choreographed stage show of blissful existence and delved into the real picture where workers, mostly employed by construction companies to build stadiums for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, were found in cramped and squalid conditions.

The BBC footage was short, possibly because the recorded items were either confiscated or given back to the released news team on condition that it would not be aired.

However, the footage shown was enough to indicate the claustrophobic living areas, dirty bathrooms, and a grime-filled common kitchen space — hardly the picture which conforms to accepted accommodation standards approved by labour welfare bodies.

Yet, the workers carry on, accepting/adapting to these “minor problems.” After all, the only consolation for the foreign worker is the regular salary. Unfortunately, that one positive aspect, the monthly or weekly wage, is often peppered with too many uncertainties.

Yasin, a young man from Comilla went to Dubai to work on a legitimate work visa. The job offer was made by a Bangladeshi broker, employed by an Indian agent in Dubai. The agent was hired by the actual employer, an Arab, who had received the contract from an international hotel chain to provide cleaners, waiters, and guards.

Lured by promises of Tk30,000, one made by the local broker, Yasin paid Tk5 lakh as payment to obtain a work permit and went to Dubai. Living in a workers’ mess, he began his duty as a cleaner for the restaurant of a five star hotel.

For many, this is like a dream come true. Only the facts later related by Yasin shed light on the actual scenario — the workers living in a mess had to wake up at 5am to eat, get ready, and wait for the bus to take them to work.

After one and a half hour on the road, they arrived at the workplace and the shift went up to 8pm or 9pm — a clear violation of the labour law. The passports of the workers were taken away by the agent — a second violation.

After one month, Yasin and all the others were told by the Bangladeshi broker that their wages would be paid soon and that the delay was caused because a contract on wage rates was still not signed with the Arab employer and the Indian agent.

However, for sustenance, they were given a small amount to buy food and carry on. Sometimes, workers receive tips at the hotels for which surviving was not difficult.

In this manner, seven months passed, and one day all the workers were stopped by the police, taken to prison since the agent they were working for had not given them the final working papers bearing the name of the actual Arab contractor.

Consequently, each person had to manage a temporary pass to go back home, asking relatives back in Bangladesh to pay for the return ticket. Meanwhile, the broker vanished along with the agent. No one thought of contacting the actual Arab employer, since it was understood that he had no role in this operation.

Yasin and 50 others came back, Tk5 lakh lost for each, no salary paid for seven months, and with only some harsh lessons learned about foreign employment scams.

The trick in this case is being played regularly — it’s a shrewdly covered and unethical arrangement with the word “legal” written on top of it. Firstly, the initial work permit provided is a valid paper and the long hours at work are also a fact with the clever deception played at the end of the month when the wages are due.

With some excuses and pats on the back, workers are pacified, paid a little for food, and made to work on. This goes on for six months, and when discontent becomes vocal, with agitation imminent, the broker quietly informs the police to stop the workers at some point.

The rest is done automatically.

Beleaguered workers go back to their country; the broker, plus the unscrupulous agent, have managed to get work done for six months paying a pittance, pocketing the actual salary, possibly paid by the main employer on time. Or, maybe the Arab main contractor was also a cohort.

Disillusioned, people like Yasin begin to pick up the pieces of their lives to carry on while brokers come back in search of a new batch of dreamers.

Work in a Dubai hotel, get solid payment, a secured future … dream peddlers are never short of victims.

Source: Dhaka Tribune