Rights bodies across Asia and Middle East fear migrants will face debt bondage and their families will slip into poverty if millions are repatriated without compensation during the coronavirus pandemic. They demanded a transitional justice mechanism to address grievances, claims and labour disputes of repatriated workers who have lost their 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 issue is significant for Bangladesh because about one crore Bangladeshis work mostly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Bangladesh government has already started repatriating some migrants, but urged the countries not to send them without compensation worth six months-salary if they are to be terminated from the job. There has been no progress in the matter yet. The statement said Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted millions of migrant workers, many have experienced job loss or non-payment of wages, forced by employers to take unpaid leave or reduced wages or have been confined in poor living conditions. The regional bodies said countries have begun repatriating workers without giving thought to their predicament. "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. Under the above conditions, repatriation poses additional challenges because without proper controls, employers might take advantage of mass repatriation programs to terminate and return workers who have not been paid their due compensation, wages and benefits, it said. It said states will become complicit if millions of workers return without their earned wages or workplace grievances being heard. "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."

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