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Regulating foreign workers and countering illegal employment
17-6-2019
Following the launch by the labor minister of a comprehensive plan to regulate illegal workforce in the country (https://bit.ly/2Fb2Yxe), the labor minister Kamil Abu Sleiman stressed on June 15, that the directive by his ministry is not an advice to employers to settle their conditions, but a law that will be implemented after the one-month ultimatum period ends. While clarifying that the above plan does not target any specific nationality, Abu Sleiman said it is ridiculous to say that there are only 700,000 registered Syrian workers in the country while hundreds of thousands are working illegally. He pressed for a strict and systematic but humanitarian approach to put the law in force, reminding that illegal workers are not outlaws and criminals, but people seeking work. “We are adamant that the law will be enforced, but are not inciting any social and humanitarian ramifications,” he maintained. For its part, Al Akhbar daily wrote that the main hitch in the local labor market is not foreign workforce, but the informal labor estimated at more than half the labor force in Lebanon. It said that the above plan promoted under the banner of control instead of regulation, will only aggravate hatred and anger against the displaced Syrians. On the other hand, the head of the Notary Council, Joseph Bsharah, explained that the employment or work contract for foreign workers in Lebanon is now available in 8 languages: French, English, Nepalese, Ethiopian, Bangladeshi, Sri Landan and Malagasy. This will allow migrant workers to learn better their rights and duties. Bsharah said the idea came to his mind first to personally assist a significant group of marginalized persons, but that after the backing it received from the labor ministry and the ILO, it turned to reality four months ago. The multi-lingual contract is currently found at 20 notaries, but will later be distributed to 230 notary offices, noting that it includes videos for those who cannot read. (Al Akhbar, Al Diyar, June 15, 17, 2019)
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