In CODs, workers are entitled to claim compensation for unjustified termination at certain rates based upon the remaining duration of the contract or completed months of service. Workers are not aware that the compensation should be claimed through the labour court within a very short period time from the last day of service and they invariably lose the benefit. Signature on settlement papers 12 Forced into a different job Compensation for unjustified termination Workers may also be held to ransom by the employer and asked to sign on the settlement paper as a condition to get their passport. Even if the employer has only made partial payment, the signature is obtained stating that there were no further claims against the employer. In addition, migrant workers were forced to sign a waiver that they will never file a case or complaint against their employer as an agreement for repatriation. There is no way that the worker can claim the dues as there is no obligation on the part of the employer to show proof of payment other than the acknowledgment signed by the worker. This applies to monthly wages also as there have been instances where the signature was taken on payment voucher without actually making the payment. Certain cases involved migrant workers who were on their annual leave, leaving the COD before March 2020 (prior to lockdown) and returning after a period of six months when flights resumed. Skilled and professional migrant workers who had obtained loans during their stay at the COD were affected when employers stopped paying wages as the banks were unable to set off loan installments from workers’ bank accounts. Without repayment, banks registered complaints against them and travel ban was obtained. Several workers have been arrested on such charges resulting from wage theft and had to pay related fines (in the UAE, a fine of AED 1,050 is charged at police stations). 14 11 13 Arrest on arrival at airports in the country of employment Cases also demonstrate that migrant workers were forced to perform a different job or were victims of contract substitution with lower pay, different work conditions, or forced to work for the employers’ relatives. There are cases of migrant workers especially women migrant workers who are promised a full-time job in a company but end up working as domestic workers. During COVID-19, domestic workers complained of being harassed by their employers, both mentally and physically, and more specifically, not being paid.