India Legal News: India will be strict with PAC Listed Foreign Firms
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India legal news reports indicate that many Indian workers are exploited by foreign firms, particularly in the Gulf region. Once there, Indian workers have no legal recourse that will help them to get justice. Meanwhile, in India, our policy of 'hear and penalize by listing' is simply not an effective solution, though it sounds promising.
In August 2010, India legal news reports indicate that 386 foreign companies are featured in the government’s Prior Approval Category (PAC) list. This is due to non-payment or lesser payment of salaries and other issues associated with exploitation of Indian workers.
India Legal News: Foreign Companies Guilty of Exploiting Employees
As per India legal news reports, there are several complaints pertaining to financial claims from overseas employers. Job scams apart, the new problem facing the government of India pertains to tackling foreign companies that exploit Indian workers and get away with it easily. Typically, Indian workers are unable to complain or get access to a safety mechanism once they are out of the country. The problem is a serious one, considering that the Gulf region is flooded with Indian workers who have no legal recourse to complain of commercial or industrial exploitation.
Mr. Vayalar Ravi, the Minister of Overseas Affairs, informed the Lok Sabha that the Government has received representations pertaining to this problem from several countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Malaysia.
The Minister said that 2, 884 complaints were filed from Saudi Arabia during this year and 4, 061 representations were received from Qatar from January 2009 to July 2010. The Minister added that as soon as a complaint is received, the concerned Indian authority takes up the issue with the overseas employer and local authorities. Further, they try to resort the matter in a peaceful manner.
Based on the recommendations of the Indian mission, Mr. Vayalar Ravi stated that the Overseas Affairs Ministry has featured defaulting foreign companies in the PAC list. These firms which are placed in PAC list are not allowed to employ workers from India, unless their name is removed from the PAC list.
The question confronting the nation is whether this is enough to curb the problem faced by Indian workers. This has gaps and loopholes as far as efficiency in implementation is concerned. The list, by itself, does not amount to a hard and fast law that safeguards the interests of Indian workers who work in the listed companies. The solution, if any, has to be more effective, specific and permanent in closing the threat itself and not function as a deterrent law.
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