They demanded a transitional justice mechanism to address the grievances and claims of
the repatriated workers who have losttheir jobs as a result of the pandemic.
Migrant Forum in Asia, Lawyers Beyond Borders Network, Cross Regional Centre for
Migrants and Refugees, South Asia Trade Union Council, and Solidarity Center made the
call in a statement yesterday.
The call came at a time when millions of migrants are facing joblessness due to the
ongoing lockdown in many countries to check the spread of coronavirus.
The issue is especially significant for Bangladesh as about one crore Bangladeshis work
mostly in the Middle Eastern and the Southeast Asian countries. Bangladesh government
has already started repatriating some migrants, but it urged the destination countries on
several occasions not to terminate and send back the workers without compensating
them with six months' salary. But there has been no response from the destination
countries so far.
The statement said the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the lives of millions of
migrant workers in different countries as many of them have experienced job loss or nonpayment of wages. Some of them were forced by employers to take unpaid leave or work
at a reduced wage.
The regional bodies said countries of destination and origin have begun repatriation
procedures of these workers without giving a thought to their predicament. Many
countries have been portraying the repatriation to be inevitable.
"Millions will be repatriated to situations of debt bondage as they will be forced to pay off
recruitment fees and costs, despite returning empty-handed," the statement said.
There are additional challenges involved in the repatriation as some unscrupulous
employers might take advantage of the mass repatriation and terminate their worker
without appropriate compensation benefits, the statement said.
"This is a gross violation of labour rights on a large scale. Wage theft will account for
millions of dollars to the detriment of workers and the benefit of businesses and
employers who will be exempted from any accountability, even if states and banks extend
a helpline to reestablish themselves and adjust to the new normal," it said.
Safeguards must be put in place to ensure that migrants can pursue their claims even
after their return to the home countries, the statement said.