Meeting of Hon. Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vayalar Ravi with UAE Labour Minister
November 13,2008

The Indian Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr. Vayalar Ravi, had a luncheon meeting with H.E. Mr. Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labour, on Thursday, 13 November, 2008. The two Ministers noted the excellent contribution being made by Indian workers in the UAE in the development of various projects and applauded their high sense of discipline and dedication. The two Ministers also reviewed various aspects of recruitment and contracting of Indian workers and discussed ways in which the present system could be improved for the benefit of the workers.

The UAE Minister conveyed to the Indian Minister his Ministry’s commitment to systematically upgrading the living and working conditions of all workers in the UAE. The two Ministers agreed that a grievance redressal mechanism consisting of officials from the Embassy and the Ministry of Labour would be set up in the near future so that labour-related issues could be quickly examined and disposed of.

The two Ministers expressed satisfaction regarding the progress of the “Abu Dhabi Dialogue” and the pilot project monitoring the migration patterns of selected workers from their recruitment to their return to their home country, which is presently being pursued by the UAE with the Philippines and India.

The Indian Minister invited H.E. Mr. Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash to visit India to pursue the bilateral dialogue; the UAE Minister readily accepted the invitation.