Job security in the Gulf: For a country whose economy has been gnawed by nearly two decades of political violence and uncertainty, Nepal has got a bonanza in the rise of Qatar. Nearly a quarter of the two million inhabitants of Qatar today are Nepali citizens, ‘temporary contract workers’ who are helping shape a nation-state and its infrastructure. And the employment opportunities seem secure as long as the price of natural gas stays up and Qatar’s evolution as an international hub proceeds towards fruition. The FIFA World Cup of 2022 will have Qatar spend an estimated $100 billion between now and then, on 12 soccer stadia, railways, a city to house 200,000, and so on. Doha is already a city of yellow hats and construction cranes, and the soon-to-open Hamad International Airport, planned to service 50 million travelers annually, will further boost the economy. All of this growth in Qatar, as well as the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—with small populations and large incomes—provides economic security for Nepal, whose citizens are part of the massive underclass of the Gulf economies. Under the circumstances, there is reluctance to ask questions, such as whether Nepalis are being paid fairly and treated good. Given the building that is going on, Qatar needs the Nepali workers just as much as the Nepalis need jobs in Qatar. Because majority of the Nepalis are lowest in the labour hierarchy in any case, demands for better conditions can be sustained without jeopardising future recruitment. If Qatar were to treat migrants better, it could have a domino effect elsewhere, including closed-off Saudi Arabia. While the sending country will always be the weaker party, there is no excuse for letting laissez faire (let it be, let them do as they will, or leave it alone) dictate our attitude, leaving the workers completely unprotected in the open market. The income and job security of foreign workers should be seen relative to the prosperity of the host country rather than the poverty of the sending country.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 08:09:31 +0000
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