More than 100,000 Sri Lankan migrant workers are now at risk of losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abandoning post in violation of contractual conditions, failing to return to work for those who were employed illegally, expiration of the contract, losing job due to issues faced by the foreign companies and such companies taking measures to obtain labour from other countries which offers cheaper opportunities have been the reasons for this situation.
The migrant workers started arriving in Sri Lanka with the spread of the COVID-19, and many of those who had returned to Sri Lanka prior to the outbreak have been told not to return to work until further notice.
Workers have also been informed that certain companies have been closed.
More than 200,000 people leave the country annually for employment and accordingly 211,229 workers in 2018 and 203,141 in 2019 have migrated for work.
The number of migrant workers is about 1,700,000 and most of them have left for jobs such as welders, plumbers or domestic helpers.
Furthermore, 90,000 have left the country as skilled labours.
The situation has affected those who were attached to companies and not domestic helpers.
Not only jobs but foreign education also was disrupted - Ravinatha
Foreign Ministry Secretary Ravinatha Ariyasinghe says that 20,000 to 30,000 migrant workers tried to get back to Sri Lanka as soon as they could but they did not pay attention to their jobs.
He also said that apart from the workers, it would be difficult for the students who had left their education to return due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Ariyasinghe further stated that, there are 1,000 workers in Kuwait and 1,000 workers in Jordan who are waiting to return to the country and they have been unable to return as half of them are reported to be illegal migrants.The Minister of Foreign Relations and Foreign Employment, Dinesh Gunawardena has had a discussion with Sri Lankan Ambassador in Kuwait and he is expecting a positive response this week,he added.
Foreign Ministry Secretary stated that even though there are thousands of migrant workers waiting to returns to Sri Lanka they should be brought in after considering the capacity to quarantine them and as well as they should not be a threat to the public of the country, they should not be exposed to the threat unnecessarily in the process of bringing them back to the country.
(Mirror)