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ISC Malayalam Wing Suspended from Indian Social Club, Muscat.
Indian Social Club suspends ISC Malayalam Wing A special correspondent
MUSCAT - The Indian Social Club (ISC), the sole social organisation working under the Indian Embassy in Muscat to represent the 3 lakh strong Indian Community in Oman has banned Indian Social Club Malayalam Wing, the most powerful lingustic wing which is working under the jurisdiction of the parent club.
According to ISC Malayalam wing members, the ban was a punishment for making public statements demanding a ban on companies like Stag Enterprises which violate labour laws without the “permission” of the parent body. The ISC Malayalam Wing has also alleged that the parent body was inactive and the initiatives taken by the Malayalam Wing (total membership 400) like demanding a 25 per cent reduction in airfare from Muscat to India and meeting the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi with these demands were other reason for the ban.
ISC members feel that the Malayam Wing was gaining publicity, without actually doing anything. Even though ISC has been supporting the initiatives taken by the two linguistic wings, (Kerala and Malayam) the way in which the ISC Malayalam wing was making press statements, without doing much, has estranged the parent club. A political tussle has been going on in the ISC. The parent body has been doing some humanitarian projects--.recently the ISC adopted a model village in the eartquake hit Gujarath.
According to ISC officials, who reserved their comments, the decision was taken by the Management Committee of the ISC on Friday. Following the death of Dileep Kumar, a Malayali worker in the labour camp of Stag Enterprises, the Malayalam Wing had requested the Indian Embassy to initiate necessary action to ban companies that are violating employment contracts from recruiting personnel from India. Its convenor C N P Nampoothiri and Gopakumar met the charge d’affaires of the embassy and presented a memorandum as they felt that several companies are "violating the employment contract signed with the employee and were harassing the lowly paid workers in many ways".
The memorandum mentioned cutting down of the salaries unilaterally, non-payment of the wages for many months, not providing facilities agreed upon earlier, not granting leave for many years among others. "The recent case of Stag Enterprises Company is the latest example," Nampoothiri said in the statement made to the embassy. "It is more disturbing that these companies are functioning here without facing any legal action and even when there are court verdicts against them, they need not implement them and can continue with their actions unchecked," he said in the memorandum.
The suspension highlights the difficulty facing social organisations like ISC in taking up issues affecting the common man. When it started the ISC was only a place for wining and dining. Now the total ISC membership is hardly 300 people and the club is officially representing the 3 lakh odd Indian community in Oman. There has been an unwritten rule which prevented ordinary workers from joining the club. The membership fee is kept high at RO 40, which is not affordable to ordinary workers. It is high time that the social club changed its rich mans club attitude and give representation to the vast majority of Indians. The club is functioning under the Indian Embassy.
The ISC Malayalam Wing had been the sole body representing the Malayali community in Oman. Ever since a section of the club decided to form the Kerala Wing, there has been stiff competition between the two wings to take up matters concerning the Indian community in general and the Keralite community in particular. Various linguistic groups' function within the jurisdiction of the Indian Social Club, the sole social organisation representing Indians. The manner in which the ISC Malayalam Wing presented a memorandum to the Indian Prime Minister to reduce the airfare from Muscat to India by 25 per cent also estranged the parent organisation. The ISC and its various wings have been silent about the shipping service, which will benefit ordinary people. Even though the ship arrived in all the Gulf ports, it faced major problems in Muscat because of the lobbying by the airlines and other business interests.
Lack of Insurance and Medical Care for Indian Workers in Oman.
A special Correspondent Muscat—Difficult working environment and lack of proper health care and insurance protection facing hundreds of Indian workers in Oman is evident in threerecent cases at work place in different parts of the Sultanate. Large number of ordinary expatriate workers engaged in accident prone professions are working without sufficient insurance coverage or medical help.
Some of the companies which have taken group insurance for workers, the managements follow several tricks to avoid giving the claim amount to accident victims. In several cases, the employees are asked to sign on dotted lines and the company pockets the insurance claim. Recently the employee of a leading manpower supplier fell down from a building and suffered multiple fractures. The company asked him to sign on dotted lines if he wanted to go home! According to insurance sources, even the medical expenses and compensation money are due to the employee. In the case of road accidents also the claim is taken by the concerned companies. Embassy officials said that employees need not sign any blank papers and should bring such cases to the notice of the Embassy Labour Officer.
An Indian worker, A.K. Manoj sustained serious burn injuries due to an explosion of cylinder used for gas welding. The accident took place on April 3, 2001 at Sinaw when Manoj was doing a welding job. Even though he has been undergoing treatment in Sinaw and Muscat, the poor expatriate worker or his local sponsor is unable to foot the huge hospital bill. As there is no insurance cover for the employee, it is a difficult situation for both the employer and this worker from Thrichur district of Kerala. For two months treatment, the hospital bill is running around RO 14,000 (Rs. 15 lakhs), which an ordinary worker is unable to pay by any chance. An appeal is made to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Vocational Training, to bail out the worker and his employer. Healthcare expenses have been going up for the expatriate community.
The Indian Embassy is currently handling three such cases on an adhoc basis. On many occasions the timely intervention of the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Social Affairs has helped poor expatriate workers get rid of such huge hospital bills. Such cases happen because many of the free visa holders do not have sufficient health or insurance coverage. In all the cases currently handled by the Indian Embassy hospital bill is running into a few thousand Omani Rials. There are some cases where the victim died after undergoing treatment in the hospital for a few weeks leaving the local sponsor with huge hospital bill. In a case that happened some months back, an Indian expatriate worker (Rajendra Kurup, Kollam district--Picture below) who was working in different places on free visa met with an accident due to gas cylinder explosion at his home. He was undergoing treatment in the Khoula Hospital for a few weeks before succumbing to the burn injuries. The hospital bill was about RO 7,000-8,000 could not be remitted by his poor sponsor or friends and the dead body was lying in the hospital mortuary for at least 20 days. Thanks to the timely intervention of the Indian Embassy, the humanitarian gesture of the Omani Health Ministry and the Labour Ministry, the hospital bill was waived and the dead body was sent to his family in India.
Even though these workers have an option to take the Pravasi insurance scheme introduced by the Kerala Government for the welfare of expatriate Malayalis in the Gulf, many people have not opted for the scheme. The premium amount is very small and is affordable to ordinary workers in the Gulf. The Omani labour law stipulates that workmen should be given proper insurance coverage at work place. The problem happens only when small companies do not subscribe to group insurance scheme for workers. The issue is complicated by the presence of hundreds of free visa holders. In several cases, the local sponsor\s role is only to provide entry visa in return for a monthly remuneration. Local sponsors realize the risk involved in providing sponsorship only when such accidents happen.
Normally such cases are earlier handled through fund collection or the charity shown by some businessmen. Due to the seriousness of the issue and the frequency of accidents, the Indian Embassy in coordination with other embassies has jointly proposed a compulsory insurance cover for expatriate workers. According to the proposal made to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and Vocational Training, the Ministry of National Economy and other concerned authorities, Omani employers of expatriate workers should provide compulsory insurance cover both at the work place and outside. Currently, the scheme covers only accidental deaths. Similarly, the two public sector airlines from India, the Air India and the Indian Airlines have agreed to carry dead body of Indians free of charge.
Another person without visa, passport and labour card had a difficult situation when he was diagnosed to have cancer. . He wanted to get help from the Indian Embassy as he was not able to do any work. He has been working in Oman for several years as a tailor and his only earning was the fatal disease. He could not get much help from the Embassy and some friends collected money for his travel back.. Even before the amnesty scheme was announced, he reached Kerala through the dubious means --with the help of duplicate passport and visa.
