Repatriated workers will be able return to Saudi soon: Sri Lanka

Thousands of illegal Sri Lankan workers in Saudi Arabia, who will be returning home soon, will be able to go back later to work in the Gulf kingdom, according to the. Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment  (SLBFE).

SLBFE Deputy General Manager Mangala Randeniya on Monday allayed fears that over 14,000 Sri Lankan workers will lose their jobs in the Gulf kingdom. "They will be able to go back to Saudi Arabia and get jobs after a recess of two to three months," he said.

"It is the professional jobs that the Saudi government is after, there are vacancies for housemaids and other grey collar jobs," he added.

However, Randeniya said as around 4,000 workers have negotiated with their present employers and have extended their visas, the number of workers who want to return home has declined, and around 10,000 workers are at present waiting in Saudi camps.

Ceylon Today learns the Sri Lanka government had requested the Saudi government to extend the reprieve period granted to repatriate them home.

Randeniya said the Saudi government is slow in releasing exit permits and the time granted under the amnesty scheme is not enough to bring the tens of thousands of workers waiting to return home. Around 60,000 workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines are waiting to leave the Gulf kingdom.

"The delay in repatriating the workers is because of Saudi police," he said. "They are slow in granting exit permits to workers and are releasing them only in small batches.”

Sources said around 20 to 30 Lankan migrant workers are released daily, making it difficult to meet the deadline.

Randeniya said he is positive of obtaining an extension by the Saudi government. "They have no intention of penalising the workers and putting them in jail. Also, they do not have enough jails to hold them," he said.

 

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