In 2008 I was working in the welfare department of a company in the UAE. My remit was to look after the welfare needs of Nepali employees. From the day I landed in Dubai, I was to hear the stories and see the lives of laborers who came all the way from South Asia, the Philippines, and beyond, expecting to earn some money, save enough and leave.
In my ten months with the company, I visited several labor camps built on the outskirts of the cities in the deserts. Laborers were bused to cities in the morning to work at construction sites, shopping malls and other places. They returned to the camps in the evening.
Although laborers in Dubai have no right to organize themselves, their basic needs such as shelter and healthcare are provided for (or are supposed to be provided for) by the company. They enjoy weekly holidays and return tickets to their country of origin (in most cases), and in case of any casualties or death, welfare funds cover them.
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But it is also true that many laborers live in poor conditions because unscrupulous manpower agents back home charge them hefty sums, promising them the impossible, and require the workers to hand over an entire year’s earnings to pay back the money spent on migration process. As a result, many get frustrated, and some leave the company and work illegally, jeopardizing their legal status and work possibilities. Also, for someone coming from a country like Nepal with green hills and plains, living in a desert away from city areas and among a predominantly male population could be frustrating. I found the situation so grim that I wrote a piece for a Nepali daily in Kathmandu with the title “Agony of Nepali workers in the Gulf.”
Later I came back to Nepal and worked with different organizations in different sectors. It was then that I started to realize that the condition of workers in the UAE, where there are no trade unions, and which is often the target of Human Rights Watch and western press for poor treatment meted out to laborers, was in many cases better compared to Nepal.
In Nepal, most private organizations do not cover even the basic needs of laborers. They do not abide by the labor laws of the country. Forget about healthcare, insurance, and recreational facilities for workers, most organizations do not even provide a cup of tea or a tablet of citamol when needed. And when the issue of labor rights arises, they begin blaming labor unions and their vandalism.
In fact, the politicization of labor unions in Nepal has done more harm than good. They have created a wrong impression on the general public. Now the public feels that labor unions are just a group of trouble-makers wreaking havoc and disrupting investment environment for the political gains of their masters. This has shadowed the genuine demands of workers.
The situation is particularly grim in organizations where the management, knowingly or unknowingly, treat junior staffs poorly. Staff in these organizations may not even get weekly leaves or compensation for extra work. Interestingly, they are not even supposed to fall sick (that would be wonderful if possible), when other employees of the same organization enjoy regular weekly offs and other benefits. Instead, they are, in some cases, compelled to do household chores—like taking their managers’ children to schools, bringing them back home, etc. They cannot speak out in fear of being abruptly sacked; they seem to be at the mercy of their bosses.
Junior staff may not even get weekly leaves or compensation for extra work, when other employees enjoy all the perks.
According to Nara Karki, an organizational performance development coach, the hard work and role of junior staffs like peons and security guards are not recognized, so they at times feel insecure.
Even the condition of mid-level staff is not very rosy. A recent MBS graduate who works for a private company said to me, “Mostly, rules are made in such a way that if an employee needs to take a day of leave, there are many steps to be followed. On the other hand, the management does not appreciate employees for their achievement and good work, or wish them on birthdays and festivals—simple things that would build employee morale and help create a better working environment without any financial burden to the company.”
In his book The Fifth Discipline, MIT professor Peter Senge talks about the disciplines of systems thinking, team learning and building a shared vision for an organization. He also highlights the importance of high morale in employees for a successful organization. I am sure there are some organizations in Nepal that believe in appreciating the value of their workforce, both in policy and practice, but they are few and far between.
The author has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Delhi University, India
keshbmalla@gmail.com
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