Sri Lanka to get tough with manpower firms

Doha (The Peninsula): A top Sri Lankan minister who was here for New Year celebrations of his countrymen said Colombo needs to get tough with manpower agencies.

The Minister of construction, engineering services, housing and common amenities Wimal Weerawansa, told The Peninsula that he met many Sri Lankans in Doha who were cheated by manpower agencies in Colombo.  

Although the minister was on an unofficial visit, he met many Sri Lankans residing in Doha, including low income workers. Many people complained about wages and living conditions. Weerawansa also said that the issues will be taken to the notice of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“Some manpower agencies in Sri Lanka together with agencies here misuse their freedom. We have to become stricter with manpower agents,” Weerawansa said. “I met the Sri Lankans living here recently. I met some low income workers as well and some of them did share their problems and asked to get a solution.”

“Many of them are paid less than some other Asian nationals and some of them are cheated by the manpower agencies. These people were promised a salary of QR 1,200 but are paid only QR 700; some of them share a room with 10 others,” Weerawansa explained.  

He admitted that finding a solution wouldn’t be an easy task. However, the issues will be taken to the notice of the President on his return to Colombo. He also explained the possibilities of learning lessons from other Asian countries, specifically from the Philippines.

“We can take lessons from countries like the Philippines in implementing regulations while sending people to work in foreign lands. Although our backgrounds are different we can still take guidelines,” Weerawansa said.

He also met Sri Lankan embassy officials in Doha and discussed issues related to migrant workers. Qatar, the largest employment provider to Sri Lankan nationals in recent years, received 56,900 skilled and semi-skilled workers in 2012.

The number of Sri Lankans working in Qatar increased by, 7.3% in 2012. The majority of Sri Lankans who came to Doha were men, while the number of women workers arriving in Qatar has dwindled.