India, Bahrain sign agreement on worker protection

India has signed an agreement with Bahrain to ensure safety of Indian workers and to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

Employers in Bahrain who want to recruit Indian workers will now have to specify the nature of work they will be doing and the required professional skills, India's Ambassador to Bahrain George Joseph said.

They would also have to detail the duration of contract, the salary agreed to and end-of-contract benefits, healthcare facilities as also the number of holidays.

The agreement was signed during the visit of minister for overseas Indian affairs, Vayalar Ravi, to Bahrain.

The agreement assumes significance in the backdrop of several instances of exploitation of women recruited as housemaids in the Gulf countries.

Bahrain hosts around 3,50,000 Indian workers, out of which around 2,75,000 are in the construction industry and household sector.

"This deal means the Indian government now has in place labour and manpower co-operation agreements with all Gulf countries, except Saudi Arabia, to protect workers," the Indian envoy said.

He said the Bahrain government is also reviewing its labour laws in order to reform them. The two countries, he said, will also constitute a joint committee consisting of officials from Bahrain's labour ministry and the overseas Indian affairs office to ensure that directives in the agreement are implemented.