08/01/2021 Telangana: Migrant workers lose Gulf jobs in pandemic, stare at bleak future | Cities News,The Indian Express February. Home India World Cities Opinion Sports “These days I am eking out a living doing whatever work comes my way. I EXPRESS decided REVIEW Entertainment Lifestyle Tech Videos Explained Audio to stay back here. There is no point going back now. Things are different now,” he Kaagaz: Pan SUBSCRIBE distressingly added. Ashok is a daily wager now and Epaper earns Rs 200 Sign to Rsin500 on days he finds work. Also Read |Covid effect: 8.4 lakh migrants back in Kerala from abroad, 5.5 lakh lost their jobs In the last couple of months, Parkipandla’s organisation has been on a ‘Gulf Bharosa Yatra,’ visiting gulf returnees like Ashok to offer help and support. The activists have been collecting details from them for a consolidated database and holding awareness campaigns at the village level. “Gulf migrants who do blue collar jobs cannot be compared to Indian expatriates living in the US or Europe. The state cannot have a blanket NRI policy for all. We are saying that all those migrants who were repatriated during the pandemic should be given their salary arrears, and end of service benefits such as bonus, PF, and gratuity, etc,” he said. The Telangana Gulf Workers Joint Action Committee, an umbrella organisation of different unions, has been urging the Central and State governments to support them by providing legal aid in foreign labour courts to fight against what is called ‘Wage Theft’. Opinion |We need to provide undivided attention to the working conditions of migrants Mandha Bheem Reddy, the president of Emigrants Welfare Forum (EWF), explained that ‘Justice for Wage Theft’ is an international campaign which took shape after many Asian and south-Asian migrants returned home empty-handed during the pandemic while losing employment and livelihood in different countries. He pointed out that their employers have taken undue advantage of the situation and not paid the pending salaries and end of service benefits. “As part of the campaign we are collecting all details from those who have returned in a hurry. We will file claims on their behalf in labour courts in destination https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/hyderabad/telangana-migrant-workers-lose-gulf-jobs-in-pandemic-7136584/ 4/13