PRIVATE overseas employment agencies in Myanmar have for the
first time been granted permission to send labourers to the country
of Qatar in the Middle East, and more than 500 Myanmar workers are
expected to go there within a year, said a representative of a
Yangon-based job agency.
U Khin Maung Tun, the general manager of Kaung and Sons
International Co., Ltd., said the company is the first agency
permitted by the Ministry of Labour to send Myanmar workers to a
country in the Middle East.
Previously, the government considered the region too dangerous
and too susceptible to unrest for Myanmar workers, he said.
“Our company had to submit a proposal to the ministry to
undertake overseas employment in Qatar, where the demand for
labourers is high and the basic salary is much higher than in
Malaysia,” said U Khin Maung Tun.
“For now, Aluminium Technology Auxiliary Industries W.L.L., one
of the most well known aluminium manufacturing factories in Qatar,
is seeking 50 skilled labourers from Myanmar through the Department
of Labour,” he said.
“Those who are interested can apply directly to the department or
through our company, and the recruited workers are expected to be
sent in July,” said U Khin Maung Tun.
“We expect about 1000 people to apply for the positions, and for
those applicants who are not recruited by the factory, we will
arrange work elsewhere in Qatar,” he said.
U Khin Maung Tun said the basic salary ranges from US$250 to $350
a month, depending on the worker’s skills.
Successful applicants must pay an agent fee in kyats equivalent
to $800, sign a two-year contract and work 44 hours a week. The
overtime pay is double the normal hourly wage.
Although the employer will arrange accommodation for the workers,
the company will not provide a meal allowance. The workers must send
50 per cent of their basic salary to their families in Myanmar each
month through the Department of Labour.