Positive labour moves

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Washington DC-based Solidarity Centre executive director Ellie Larson talks about the positive progress she has seen in the GCC labour market since her visit to the region 12 months ago.

You were here in the region exactly 12 months ago. What has changed in the meantime?

The dialogue has changed considerably, which is an indicator that other things are changing. There is a resolute acknowledgement from employers that there are problems here, and they are looking to the government to acknowledge that measures have to be taken to ensure that economic investments are safe, and to ensure that growth continues. You would not have heard that kind of dialogue last year.

Are new topics being discussed that you would not have heard last year?

The topic of retraining and work place advancement is one that we barely touched upon last year. We'd just begun that dialogue 12 months ago, but now it's one of the biggest conversations. Previously, repatriation wasn't on anybody's lips, and now it's a new problem.

Another issue that's being discussed is staff turnover, and how expensive it is. In the past it was just a business expense to be dealt with. Now it's an expense that companies are recognising is costly, and they want to prevent it.

So what are the solutions to a high, and costly, degree of staff turnover?

If you aren't a good company, and you do not respect your workers, believe me, I don't care where you're from in the world, word gets around. You become known as the company that people want to work for - or don't want to work for. There is no in between, no grey area.

If you're looking for good skilled workers who are productive and have the knowledge that you need, you have to be a good company to work for. People are now recognising this fact.

Over time therefore, can we expect the bad employers to be ‘weeded out' as word spreads?

You would think that the natural evolution of migrant labour over the course of centuries would have weeded out the traffickers, but it hasn't. Exploitative behaviour, especially for financial gain, is very difficult to root out of any social system.

One argument against freedom of association is that with expatriate workers outnumbering nationals by 9 to 1 in many places, trade unions could become too powerful too quickly.

How should this barrier be approached?

Quite often, if people are not given their rights, they have to take them. The ability of organised labour to regulate behaviour of its members can't be underestimated. Without any dispute resolution mechanisms, if the workforce starts to lose hope, I would be very concerned about the fact that I am so greatly outnumbered. To allay this, you always maintain power by giving power. Further, you have a better chance of finding a good solution if people feel like they are on a level playing field and that they have a voice.

Are there parallels where freedom of association was outlawed and then introduced? And if so, what has the effect been on the labour market in question?

Yes - Bahrain is a good example. Trade unions are legal there now, though previously they were not. The trade unions value system dictates that they are organising migrant workers alongside nationals, and they are doing a very good job of it. It has had a very positive effect on the Bahrain labour market.

Will employers reject your argument that human resources are the most valuable now that the slowdown is affecting the region?

In our society the exact opposite would have to be true. Human resources have now become even more valuable with the onset of the global financial crisis, because advancement in technology is not based on gold, diamonds or natural resources. It's based on human capacity.

Technology is the biggest weapon we have and the most effective tool for advancement in society and this requires human resources and capabilities.

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