India has been proposing signing of uniform labor agreement with six-state Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). India has recently signed a similar agreement with Bahrain.
Speaking at a press conference here Tuesday, Shahare said a delegation from India will arrive for two-day talks with their Saudi counterparts in Riyadh.
Speaking about the labor issues Shahare said Indian Embassy in Riyadh issued around 3,977 emergency certificates to Indian workers during the past eight months.
Emergency certificates are issued to all Indian nationals upon proving the national identity. Shahare said the Indian Embassy’s Welfare Wing has its own mechanism to ascertain if the documents such as a copy of Indian passport or ration card are genuine. The same procedures also apply to Indian citizens, who are residents of Jammu and Kashmir and awaiting deportation in Riyadh, he said.
The Indian detainees were awaiting deportation after their sponsors reported them as runaway or absconding workers.
However, there are 397 Indians still waiting to be deported at a deportation center Riyadh, he said. On an average 5,000 emergency certificates are issued by the Indian Embassy every year, Shahare said.
Shahare said the embassy has been assisting Indian workers by providing advice and other support in resolving labor disputes. He said during the past eight months around 296 labor dispute cases involving delayed salaries to end-of-service-benefits and other complaints were settled through labor courts.
