The Indian Consulate in Dubai has pledged to prioritise the welfare of migrant Indian workers in the UAE from this year onwards.
The new consul general, Venu Rajamony, said that consulate officials will be proactive in identifying problems of Indian workers and in approaching their employers and local authorities for relief.
“The welfare of the Indian community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates shall be my top priority,” he said.
“The consulate will endeavour to reach out to the Indian community, individually and collectively, to understand their problems and to find solutions to the best extent possible.”
Rajamony also proposed to review the operations of the Crisis Prevention Programme – a body that was set up by the consulate last year to provide assistance to troubled workers who had developed suicidal tendencies.
He also said that he planned to discuss the psychological problems of Indian workers with counsellors.
The pledge follows the development of two groups to deal with workers’ problems by the government of Dubai.
In late 2005, it created the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs, which deals with unpaid wages, while late last year, Dubai Municipality introduced the Follow Up Committee for Environment and Health of Labourers, which looks into workers’ housing and labour camp standards.
Rajamony added that the consulate would hold monthly ‘open house’ sessions at its premises, whereby all Indian workers can discuss their problems and find solutions with the help of consulate officers.
And the consulate’s move also comes after a series of fatal accidents on construction sites in the last month, including the fire at Fortune Tower.
US-based Human Rights Watch recently slammed Indian authorities in the UAE for not taking enough action to protect the rights of migrant workers.
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