Over a year in, labour quarter regulations remain ignored
By
Aman Haleem
A deadly fire broke out in a labour quarter where migrant labourers were housed at M. Nirufehi Thursday morning. At least 10 lives have been lost in the tragedy. Another is fighting for his life in the hospital.
From the information available so far, it is clear that the place was congested. On top of the garage on the ground floor, the two-storey labour quarter had tiny 'rooms'. Each room had a bed to sleep on, a cylinder of cooking gas, and a stove.
MNDF Colonel Ibrahim Rasheed, who spoke to reporters Thursday morning about the incident, described it as "tiny households".
"This is the labour quarter right here, there is a very narrow staircase that gives access to the living quarters. It has been made in a very congested manner," he said.
The exact number of people living here is yet to be ascertained. Information shared by the authorities suggests that around 40 people were living there. However, no confirmed number has been given by any agency so far. They are also collecting information needed to confirm a number.
It has been ascertained that the people living there included Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Indians. They were employed by different companies. Therefore, it is believed that the labour quarter is a place where migrant workers are accommodated on a commercial basis.
What has been learned so far raises a number of questions. Where are the businesses that hired these people and arranged their accommodation in such a place? Where is the Labour Relations Authority that needs to look into issues related to ensuring workers' rights? And where is the economic ministry that is responsible for the supervision of all this?
There is a regulation by the economic ministry on migrant workers. Gazetted in January 2021 and brought to effect six months later, the regulation says:
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It is mandatory for the employer to provide accommodation to every migrant worker they hire
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Work permits are also issued only after providing accommodation recognised by the ministry
In this regulation and other related regulations, the ministry has laid down a set of criteria for accommodation for migrant workers:
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If the place is where one sleeps with a single bed, it should be at least 40 sqft
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If two single beds are kept and two people sleep, they should have 73 sqft
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If the number of beds is more than two, 34 sqft of space will be required for every two beds
In addition, the other conditions for such accommodations are:
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Adequate lighting
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Proper ventilation
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Separate toilets for both genders
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There should be one toilet for every 10 persons
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Clean drinking water
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Waste disposal arrangements
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Kitchen needs to meet health standards
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Fire, emergency and safety measurements in place
These norms are mandatory for accommodations provided by employers and commercial establishments to follow suit. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs to ensure that the accommodations meet the said criteria before registering them. Even after the registration is granted, they have to check once a year to see if the standards are maintained.
Following the incident at M. Nirufehi house, Atoll Times tried to ensure if the place was registered as per the regulations. There was no response from the ministry till the time the story was published.
While the rules prescribe specific conditions, the government's attempt to implement it is ambiguous. It is well known that the quality of the places where migrant labourers live is poor and that the government is not doing enough to change the status. The regulation to manage this was not implemented when it was nearly two years old after being established.
