7/22/2020
Kerala High Court Asks For MEA Response On Wage Theft
Rejimon Kuttappan
Jul 7, 2020, 12:04 PM
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The Kerala High Court has instructed the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Ministry of Labour, Kerala government and NORKA to respond on setting up of a
grievance redressal mechanism for Indian migrant workers abroad.
The court issued the instruction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by
Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB), an international network of legal experts, advocating for the
rights of migrant workers.
In the PIL, the lawyers had said that as the repatriation of workers is done in a hurry from
COVID-hit countries, especially from the Middle East, justice is not delivered.
The PIL said that workers are forced to give up their pending salaries and there is no
mechanism to address their grievances either.
The court observed that "The issues raised in the petition are having public importance; needs
to be addressed seriously and the respondents should make an effective mechanism for
redressal of grievances following the Indian constitution and international treaties.”
The court has told the ministries, Kerala government and NORKA to respond on July 16.
The Lede was the first to report on wage theft happening in the Arab Gulf and the lack of a
transitional justice mechanism.
https://www.thelede.in/inclusion/2020/07/07/kerala-high-court-asks-for-mea-response-on-wage-theft
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