Migrant workers form 70% of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries' workforce. The majority are low-income workers who are now facing severe impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Workers are especially vulnerable due to poor living and working conditions that already compromise their health. Crowded accommodations make it impossible for workers to practice social distancing, while lack of sanitation — including running water, uninterrupted supply of potable water and poor drainage systems — also makes recommended hygiene practices difficult.
The economic repercussions for workers are also bleak; workers who depend on daily earnings, such as live-out domestic workers, taxi drivers, and Flexi-permit holders in Bahrain, now have no income at all because of mobility restrictions. Salaried workers also report that they are not being paid while they are under forced quarantine. Migrant workers are unlikely to be fully included in income protection and other response measures.
Anxiety around the virus is also high; uncertainty regarding their income and ability to remit money home is not placated by government communication, which often fails to reach them.
GCC states have launched some positive initiatives, including awareness-raising programs for workers and companies and free treatment in some states. However, protection gaps continue to leave workers at risk and policies often have an unintended impact on workers.
Migrant-Rights.org is closely monitoring the situation and updating our
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