Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Working for a living or living to work?

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here are some of us, who would not mind posting image of our living room in the social media, then there could be some of us, who might shy away, but there are some whose living conditions are exposed and they do not have a choice.


May be it is news related but how far can we go with the urge to be the first one to report. The world is seeing a flow of migrant workers and it is not the first time in history. The nature of man is to explore opportunities and it has been so from the hunters’ time to current age of artificial intelligence. From the use of skilled labour to knowledge based professions there has been a flow to where there is a demand. If not countries would not have experienced brain drain. It is a magnetic pull — the existence of demand and the opportunities.


Migrant workers are a fact in many countries but we should not forget they are present because they have been employed. Did the worker arrived because he was facing unemployment in his homeland? Or did he want to ensure a better standard of living for his dependents? A migrant goes to another land to support his family. They might want to save as much as possible so that they can provide for their families back home. In fact experts on migrant workers even say that undocumented workers might not even report on workplace injury. When they have a variety of issues in their mind, the last concern on their mind might be the beauty of the place they are residing at even if the sight of the place could be sore to others.


On the other hand it is important for their own good that there are not too many people living in the same place.


Speaking to an official from the Ministry of Housing it was nice to know the ministry is in the process of supporting the private sector to have more residential complexes for workers in other Wilayats of Oman as more and more projects are coming up in Muscat. And one of the solutions they are looking at is leasing of land so companies can build complexes for their staff.


The new steps that are coming up might be important measures taken towards better living conditions for the migrant workers. Maybe what is also required from the companies’ part is to provide an orientation toward the norms of the host country. It might be a factor that had been overlooked for many years. But in today’s world people have become more verbal — especially with the advent of social media platforms.


The workers are here for two reasons to fill a need in the labour market and earn a living so they can look after their family.


Now there is so much attention on where the workers should be living. Maybe it is about time we need to focus on their mental health as well. Had the opportunity to interview five to six crew members of a construction company. They had a beautiful story to tell. They like to share their grocery shopping and contribute when they get the salary, cook a variety of meals on different days as they are from various countries and they prepare food when they get back to their rooms after their work in the evening.


There was a sense of team spirit when they spoke. They were from different cultures but they had found a common ground. So what is the secret of their success? They said it themselves, “Our company looks after our needs very well. We are like a family.” Now this success need not be a success story of this particular construction company alone. It can belong to any organisation that can apply emotional intelligence along with administrative policies and targets of profit line.


The workers’ self esteem shined when they spoke with confidence. But they were quick to point out the best part of the day was when they spoke to their family members back home — father, mother, wife, brother and sister. Their smile lingered as they spoke about their family and the eyes looked far ahead — to lands far off where their loved ones must be going through daily chores until they receive the call in the evening to share the happenings of the day.


lakshmiobserver@gmail.com


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