How Lankan migrant worker sustains the economy

Rasika SOMARATHNA

December 18 is designated International Migrant’s Day. The Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment are making arrangements to commemorate the International Migrant’s Day on December 18, 2011 on an elaborate scale covering the whole country. The Daily News caught up with the Minister for Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, Dilan Perera to inquire about what is in store for Sri Lankan migrant workers on this important day and also to look beyond to what lies ahead for the future progress of the sector, benefits for the migrant workers and its overall contribution to the national economy.

Q: The International Migrant’s Day falls on Sunday (December 18th). What are your ministry's plans to mark this important day?

A: We have organized a gamut of programmes with the highest state patronage to mark this important day. Despite the substantial contribution of labour migrants to the national economy, they find themselves a marginalized group. One of the main efforts in our campaigns launched Sunday will be to provide an appropriate corrective. The first is to engage in a massive awareness raising campaign to make it widely known in Sri Lanka about the true contribution made by migrant workers. We have made arrangements to commemorate Migrant Day, falling on December 18, 2011, in a fitting manner in every district. This would be a rousing clarion call for recognition of migrant worker.

The events on Sunday are arranged in such a way to highlight among the general public the importance of the contribution made to the Sri Lankan economy by our brothers and sisters who are working abroad under difficult conditions. We expect that the educational and awareness raising programmes arranged would help to increase appreciation and respect for our migrant workers in our society.

Q: Can you describe these programmes in detail?

A: The programme is under the theme ‘Dirisariya’. Let’s appreciate migrant workers, the heroes of our economy. While the celebrations are scheduled to take place islandwide, the Colombo District event is scheduled to begin at 8.30 a.m. from a point opposite the Presidential Secretariat and will be graced by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It includes the issuing of a First Day cover and stamp issuance of a Migrant Card, which combines the data of the migrant worker and a debit card, a migration walk with the participation of about 2,000 from the migration community and a vehicle parade with educational floats. Also awareness programmes on the 18th would publicize advice related to safe migration, reputed recruitment agencies in Sri Lanka and the welfare measures arranged by the SLBFE. Two mobile services would be in operation in every district in the country. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), foreign embassies and ministries are supporting these endeavours.

We would like all public servants, Government Agents, Grama Niladarees, Police officers, families of migrant workers and others to join hands with the local SLBFE Office on December 18, to appreciate our migrant workers, the heroes of our economy.

Q: What is the current strength of Sri Lankan's employed overseas and their contributions in the form of foreign revenue?

A: It is estimated that over 1.7 million Sri Lankans work outside the country and have remitted approximately US $ 4.1 Billion in 2010. This remittance income is by far the highest foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka, providing 33 percent of her foreign exchange and it amounts to 8 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP. The contribution made by Sri Lankan Migrant Labour Force has exceeded the income received from traditional export income generating sectors such as tea, coconut, rubber, gem and garments. During the six months period January - June 2011, there is an average increase of 26.39 percent on the workers’ remittances when compared with the corresponding period in 2010.

Consequently, the total workers' remittances in 2011 could exceed US $ 5.2 Billion. Migrant labour remittances are one of the major reasons why Sri Lanka heads South Asia in the Human Development Index. Migrant workers are the economic heroes and heroines of Sri Lanka.

Q: Collective remittances are most impressive. However, the human element is the key in this sector. At times these migrant workers undergo numerous difficulties, while working abroad. What is your ministries policy for labour migration, if it comes to a possible conflict between humanism and a totally remittance earning per-occupation?

A: All our efforts are towards ensuring a labour migration process that adheres to principles of good governance and rights for all men and women to engage in decent and productive employment abroad in conditions of freedom, dignity, security and equity.

The Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare take, as its guiding direction, the relevant sections of Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma. The significant re-direction offered in the Mahinda Chinthana is that labour migration policy change focus from a totally remittance earning pre-occupation treating migrant workers as commodities, to dealing with migrant workers as human beings, while facilitating them to earn their incomes in a dignified fashion. The ministry will focus on humanism and the sub-ordinate one of income generating commodity. If there were to be a possible conflict between humanism and commodity, humanism should always prevail.

Q: There has been a continued debate regarding the pros and cons of sending females abroad as unskilled domestic workers?

A: The contributions made by these females to our economy are enormous. However, we are also aware of the negative impacts of this practice. Apart from the many problems faced by few of the female domestic workers, another detrimental aspect of the migration of large number of mothers with young children was the psycho-social impact on the children left behind.

These issues have been identified by the government as needing priority attention by taking counter measures for the protection of children left behind and to increase the outflow of professional, technical, middle management and skilled manpower so that Sri Lanka can harness the true potential of its intelligent and educated human resource, thus reducing dependence on the earnings of female domestic workers. For some time now we have continuously engaged in a policy of discouraging females migrating as domestic aides.

When I became minister I increased the minimum eligibility age of such women for migration to 21. In the next three years I plan to increase this to 30. Also plans are underway to up their training in order to promote their status as housekeepers. This category of workers could earn more than US $ 400 per month.

In the Mahinda Chinthana policy of the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the need to promote and improve the image of Sri Lanka as a source country that provide high calibre professional and technical and skilled personnel in specialized fields such as nursing, nautical services, accountancy, IT, banking and engineering has been clearly envisioned.

The thrust of this policy is to increase the migration for skilled employment rather than unskilled and female domestic workers. This policy has resulted in the reduction of female domestic workers to 42.4 percent of total migration in 2010 from the 70 percent level in 1995, which can be considered a positive achievement. We expect these figures to further reduce in the coming years.

Q: There was speculation that your ministry was planning to introduce a National Migration Health Policy. What is the current status of this initiative?

A: It is ready. This would be unveiled on Monday, December 19. The Health Ministry and the IOM are partners in this programme. We are looking to address both mental and physical health requirements of the migrant workers through this programme. Not only the worker but their family members too would be integrated to this. It has wide benefits for both migrant workers and their families.

In addition from January onwards we are planning to initiate a concept called 'family week' for migrants and their families. In this the migrant worker hopefuls and their husband or wife would be given counseling prior to departure. We intend to educate them on numerous aspects related to migration and how to conduct themselves in carrying forward a rewarding and an amicable family life both during and post migration periods.

Q: There was also talk about a national migration profile?

A : Yes, we would mainstream labour migration into all national polices by including key migration variables into data collection, ensuring a proper use of data in the national surveys, including those used in national housing, health, labour, gender, education and migration statistics. Work has already started to prepare a National Migration Profile, which is to be published in early 2012. This migration profile would be a comprehensive data and information tool for evidence based policy making on migration and development. Towards this objective the ministry has evolved a novel concept of country specific, company specific and job specific training to gain a strategic advantage over the others. Pursuant to this objective, the entering into bilateral agreement on Labour Migration with other governments is pursued.

Q: There were several proposals in the government's 2012 budget in relation to the sector. Can you describe what benefits these measures would bring to the migrant workers?

A: First I have to tell you that no politician in our history has done more for this sector than President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He has been closely associated with this sector since his tenor in the office of the Labour Minister. He understands the requirements and needs of the migrant workers well. In the budget he emphasized that it was very important to provide project and enterprise related management skills to facilitate those who are returning from foreign employment to invest their savings as capital to commence new businesses.

As a measure to promote such initiatives, he proposed that all new income avenues from such projects will be exempt from all taxes for five years. He also proposed to permit such projects to purchase the required machinery and equipment, free from customs duties. Then the third he proposed to launch a Credit Assurance Scheme to enable such persons to have easy access to credit, at low interest.

In addition our Ministry has initiated a scheme to provide housing loans at a low interest for low income earners. In this loan the interest would be 13 percent.

Q: In addition what are the other key welfare measures enacted in recent times?

A: Providing free life insurance coverage for every departing migrant worker, upon SLBFE registration, providing scholarships for children of migrant workers who achieved targeted results in the national examinations, providing pre-migration loans through state banks, Conducting training programmes for prospective domestic sector female workers at island wide training centers of SLBFE, Providing air tickets for repatriation of stranded workers, are some of the measures.

Q: What about new opportunities for migrant worker hopefuls in the immediate future?

A: Our focus is on skilled and professional categories which will have a higher earning capacity and less employment related problems. We intend to focus on our country specific, job specific and company specific strategy. To facilitate this, the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare is keen on achieving regional cooperation and understanding by holding discussions and through international agreements with both sending and receiving countries.

In this respect entering into a Bilateral Agreement on Labour migration with Italy, the first such agreement signed by Italy in recent years could be described as a landmark. Under this Agreement the Italian government will establish a Labour Coordinating Office in their Embassy in Colombo and it is likely that it will create about 3,500 employment opportunities on a government to government basis. This will eventually curb the illegal human trafficking operations to Italy.

Another, initiative taken is to negotiate a tripartite collaboration between the University of Hertfordshire of UK, Open University of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment on Nursing Education with special emphasis on foreign employment.

Already, MOUs have been signed with Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Libya and South Korea and Bilateral Agreement with Qatar. Negotiations are underway to enter into similar MOUs with Kuwait, Oman and Lebanon. Similarly, a MOU with Israel is under negotiation for the recruitment of 2,500 construction workers and 500 care givers. Renewed the labour agreement with Qatar. This will enhance employment opportunities to Sri Lankans in Qatar, especially with Qatar preparing to host the foot ball world cup FIFA in 2020. Saudi Arabia has agreed to enter in to a MOU on Labour Migration which will be the first such MOU with any country by Saudi Arabia.

Successfully negotiating to establish a job-ensured export-oriented workers training institute as a joint collaboration with Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and two Malaysian organizations. This will meet the growing demand for especially skilled workers in Malaysia.

Q: What are the long term goals?

A: The ministry has set its target on becoming the best provider of professional, technical and skilled manpower to the global market and foreign exchange earnings of US $ 10.0 Billion in 2015. The policies formulated to achieve this figure, will have to be embedded in the five-fold hub strategy which Sri Lanka is pursuing. The five hubs are shipping, aviation, commerce, energy and knowledge. The remittance earning policies will fall within the knowledge hub. This entails an upward shift from unskilled to semi and skilled grades.