Jobs –In a joint effort to safeguard rights of workers going to the Gulf nations for greener pastures, Qatar has banned 12 Kenyan recruitment agencies.
The news came on Sunday February 20 after a long meeting was held between Central Organization of Trade Union COTU and Qatar Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh.
In the update shared with the media, the 12 firms which have since been blacklisted are Starch, Anand, Sunrise, Dubai, Frame, Al Adam, Absher, Al Methaq, Resala, Altaaon, and Althabat.
Qatar nation clarified that the 12 will no longer be allowed to carry on with the business in thier country because they had blatantly violated their labour standards. Samikh further added that the lives of Kenyans in their country was just as important as any other life and to stop the cases and complaints of brutality and underpayments, it was important to start enforcing the laws.
On his part, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli raised an issue with the Gulf country which he asked to safeguard Kenya’s exported labor.
He pointed out that there has been increased cases of death arising from employer’s deliberate attempts to frustrate helpless Kenyans in their country.
“The minister noted that they are currently in the process of cancelling the operations of Kenyan-owned employment agencies. At least 12 licenses have been cancelled so far,” Mr Atwoli said.
The Qatar labor Minister pledged to make sure that, going forward, all Kenyan workers in their country are protected from mistreatment and poor pay.
COTU observed that to make this work well, it was becoming necessary for governments to work together in monitoring the well-being of labour exports and imports among nations.
Of recent, cases of death have arose as a result of brutality meted on Kenyan womenworking in the Gulf Nation with Saudi Arabia topping the list of the most dangerous places for employment.
