Lure of Golden Lands: Trade and Commerce in Labour and Lives

This article is developed from a seminar paper, “Migration of Labour from South Asia to the Middle East”, I presented at the School of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University on 7 September 2006. My sincere thanks to colleagues, including Professor Purusottam Bhattacharya, Professor Sanjukta Bhattacharya, and Dr. Partha Pratim Basu, for their valued presence and participation. This article has been prepared under a deadline, in the midst of other pressing commitments, and may be considered as a work-in-progress paper. I would appreciate any comments sent to me at komar@une.edu.au. On a more informal note, during the brief intensive period of work on this article, ‘Dolphin’ and ‘Putputi’ always reminded me that it was important to ‘eat properly and sleep well’! I am grateful to them for these constant reminders.

Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 18, references omitted.

Ibid. , at 16 (Table 1.1), 20–21.

Ibid., at 17, references omitted.

World Migration 2003, Chapter 11, at 198, (Table 11.2). Sourced from http://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/published docs/books/wmr2003/chao11p195 214.pdf.

Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM: International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 54.

Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 57, citing Abella M. , ‘Protecting Temporary Migrant Workers: Challenges for Modernizing States in Asia’, Paper presented at the Workshop on International Migration and Labour Markets in Asia, Tokyo, Japan Institute of Labour, 1999.

Ibid. , at 58. Equal rights in respect of wages and salary and other work conditions are recognized in many labour-receiving countries of South East and East Asia including Japan. Taiwan and the Republic of Korea.

Article 2 of the ILO Convention Concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, 1948 (No. 87), for example states: Workers and employers, without distinction whatsoever, shall have the right to extablish and, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, to join organizations of their own choosing without previous authorization.

Abella M. , ‘Protecting Temporary Migrant Workers: the Challenges for Modernising States in Asia’, in Labour Migration and the Recent Financial Crisis in Asia, Paris, OECD Proceedings, 1999.

Waddington Clare , ‘International Migration Policies in Asia: A Synthesis of ILO and other Literature on Policies seeking to Manage the Recruitment and Protection of Migrants, and Facilitate Remittance and their Investment’, Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Migration, Development, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices, 22-24 June 2003, Dhaka, Bangladesh, at 4. These and other papers at the Conference are available at www.livelihood.org .

Ibid., references omitted.

Act No 31 of 1983.

Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 122.

Ibid. , at 134.

For the full list of responsibilities of the Ministry see Ibid., at 107.

For a discussion on this, and other organizations of recruitment agencies and returned migrants see, for example, Asif Syed Saiful Haque , ‘Rights of Migrant Workers”, in Hossain Hameeda (Ed.), Human Rights Bangladesh 2000, Ain 0 Salish Kendro (ASK), Dhaka, 2001, 205–222.

For an itemized list of the responsibilities of BOESL see, Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 107.

For a discussion of these Conventions see, for example, Grimsmann J. , ‘Briefing Note on ILO Conventions Concerning the Protecting of Migrant Workers (Nos. 97 and 143)’, ILO/EASMAT, Bangkok, 1999. See also Bohning R. , ‘The Role and Functions of International Organizations in the Field of Migrant Workers’, Regional workshop on the International Labour Officeand International Labour Migration, the Canadian Human Rights Foundation and others’, Manila, Philippines, 1999.

Waddington Clare , ‘International Migration Policies in Asia: A Synthesis of ILO and other Literature on Policies seeking to Manage the Recruitment and Protection of Migrants, and Facilitate Remittance and their Investment’, Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Migration, Development, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices, 22-24 June 2003, Dhaka, Bangladesh, at 11–12. See also Cholewinski R , ‘International Human rights Standards and the Protection of Migrant Workers in the Asia Pacific’, http://www.december18.net/paper1standards.htm.

Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 124.

For a brief review of this scheme see, Asif Syed Saiful Haque , ‘Rights of Migrant Workers’, in Hossain Hameeda (Ed.), Human Rights Bangladesh 2000, Ain 0 Salish Kendro (ASK), Dhaka, 2001, 205–222, at 213–215.

Clare Waddington, ‘International Migration Policies in Asia: A Synthesis of ILO and other Literature on Policies seeking to Manage the Recruitment and Protection of Migrants, and Facilitate Remittance and their Investment’, Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Migration, Development, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices, 22-24 June 2003, Dhaka, Bangladesh, at 7.

Skeldon R. , ‘Labour Migration and Trafficking Within the Greater Mekong Subregion’, ILO TICW-project and UN IAP, ILO-IPEC, Geneva, ILO, 35-67. Although made in the context of the Mekong region, the recommendations apply generally to other parts of the world.

Migrant Workers, Report III(1B), International Labour Conference, 87th Session, International Labour Office, Geneve, (ILO, 1999).

The observations are quoted in Labour Migration in Asia: Trends, Challenges and Policy Responses in Countries of Origin, IOM, International Organization for Migration, Switzerland, 2003, at 73.

Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration, ‘International Symposium on Migration: Towards Regional Cooperation on Irregular/Undocumented Migration’ Bangkok, 1999.