Expatriate workers in danger of losing jobs

Sri Lankan expatriate workers, especially those in the Middle East, are in danger of losing their jobs due to the global financial crisis, said JVP parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Making a special statement to the House today (Dec. 05th), he asked the government to mediate on behalf these workers who have been immensely contributing to the national economy for many years.

"Leading construction firms in most Middle Eastern countries are now reducing their staff. For instance, around 1,000 had lost their jobs in the United Arab Emirates alone by last week."

"Dubai Properties has cut the jobs of 150 workers, while Damak (200), Medermot (450), D.G.Jones (20) have also reduced staff. Nakeel has also announced a job cut of 15 per cent. A majority of these workers are Sri Lankans," he said.

"This is a worry not only for UAE, but Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other Middle Eastern countries have fallen victim to this crisis."

"Already, Sri Lankans serving as engineers, quantity surveyors and banking professionals have been victimized, and the situation will become worse in the future," he said.

"It will be difficult for these expatriate workers to find employment. They cannot leave these countries due to the bank loans they have obtained. Even if they are allowed to leave, they cannot bring their vehicles and other assets to Sri Lanka as the government charges very big sums as customs levy."

Mr. Dissanayake said, "There should be at least minimum concessions offered for these people who earn foreign exchange for the country."

"Not only that, their children will face trouble when looking for schools to study and their education will suffer. We believe that this should be considered in a more humane manner."