Protecting Sri Lanka’s expatriate labour

Although it is on record that Sri Lanka earns more than USD three billion from her expatriate labour, what the country owes this labour force cannot be easily measured in terms of any currency. That is, their contribution to this country’s well being is priceless.

We have it on the authority of External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris that the income garnered for this country by our expatriate labour today exceeds by thrice, the revenue earned by our tea exports. Accordingly, the setting-up of state agencies for the promotion of the welfare of our migrant labour, such as, the Ministry of Foreign Employment, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and the Foreign Employment Agency, should be warmly welcomed. We hope that, from now on, there would be concerted and coordinated action among these organizations to further the interests of these workers.

This is on account of the fact that these agencies could all too easily work in isolation and disjointedly in their efforts to carry out their respective mandates.

If one needs to gauge the degree to which Sri Lanka has integrated itself into the global economy over the decades, then all that one needs to do is take account of the way in which our migrant labour has ballooned phenomenally and established itself in some of the most economically vibrant parts of the world today. But, as is obvious, such unprecedented exposure to the world outside has brought its own problems and it is the responsibility of the relevant state agencies to put them right.

There is a duty that is owed these workers by the rest of Lankan society. It is their hard-earned money that, to a considerable degree, helps to swell our foreign exchange earnings, which in turn sustain the country economically. Today, foreign travel has grown to unprecedented heights by Sri Lankan nationals from all walks of life, but it is the foreign exchange earnings brought in by our migrants, coupled with other sources of such earnings, that make foreign travel and other forms of international interactions of Sri Lankans possible. In fact, the seemingly sophisticated lifestyles of some local sections, including those of politicians, would not be possible if not for the earnings brought in by our migrant labour.

So, a duty is owed by us to these sections of our labour force, including, of course, the humble, anonymous “housemaid,” and we urge the state to take good care of them. Needless to say, foreign employment, for particularly our women, is proving very hazardous and we are glad that reforms and new welfare practices are under contemplation to make their lot happier. We particularly welcome state moves to raise the age of employability of these workers from 18 years to 21 years. We are given to understand that very soon this would be upped to 30 years and it is very advisable that it should be so.

It could be observed that considering these reforms, national policy on migrant labour welfare and corrected issues has matured over the years. At the beginning the welfare component in this policy was not very prominent. Today, under the administration headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, it is coming very much to the fore, and this is something to be hugely welcomed. Although economic benefits are of prime importance, such considerations should be balanced, with other vital aspects of national well being.

One such essential is the nurturing of happy, stable local homes and it is plain to see that these new considerations would be promotive of more national happiness. After all, now more and more women in their prime, would be available to their homes and families, thereby helping in bringing about emotional stability nationally.

Besides, these migrant workers should be assured more and more insurance benefits. Their lives should be fully insured and foreign employees required to follow strict guidelines in employing them. In no way could they be expected to suffer bodily and mental harm abroad.

Thus, it is our hope that an increasingly balanced and wide-ranging national policy on these matters would now take shape.