'Migrant workers' human rights violated in Qatar': RSS-affiliated trade union

NEW DELHI: The RSS-affiliated trade union BMS on Tuesday expressed deep concern over "gross violation" of human rights of migrant workers in Qatar and cited reports about "slave-like conditions" of work there, days after the Islamic country took the diplomatic lead in criticising India over two BJP members' remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

The BJP had suspended one leader and expelled the other from the party for the remarks.

"Several human rights watchdogs have reported slave-like conditions of work in Qatar recently, since the award of the hostship of FIFA World cup," The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said in a statement and added 1,611 Indian migrants have died in that country since 2014 and the families back home had to wait a cruel amount of time for getting the mortal remains.

The trade union said it raised this issue with the government and their counterpart delegates of Qatar during the recently concluded International Labour Conference.

"BMS has also lodged protest to the Ambassador of the state of Qatar at India, Labour Ministry and External Affairs Ministry, Government of India, to draw attention to these issues and demanded that all Indian workers in Qatar are accorded good and healthy working conditions and their human rights are respected," according to the statement issued by its general secretary Binoy Kumar Sinha.

"If the Qatar government doesn't take positive action on these fronts, BMS will be forced to raise the issue at national and international forums at earliest," it added.

According to the statement, the BMS has also criticised the Kafala system for causing "severe trauma" for workers from India as well as other South Asian countries in Qatar.

"Seizure of passports, overtime work, denial of permission to even leave place of stay for a while, tight accommodations, sexual abuse, forced work outside the field of expertise have been sources of great mental agony for workers," the BMS said.

The Kafala system is used for monitoring migrant workers by the Gulf Cooperation Council.

It requires all migrant workers to have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status.