Israel Team Here To Recruit Indian Workers

If you want a chance to ‘discover new horizons’ in a foreign country then look no further. Get ready to embark on a trip to a ‘developed’ country often listed in the top 20 richest countries in the world. A country with a strong economy and excellent job market.

And guess what? Unlike the crazy fellows in ‘Dunki’ who keep falling prey to scams and are denied Visa; unlike the thousands of immigrants who take a tumultuous journey riddled with hardships and challenges to reach foreign shores; unlike those who take the illegal way out through the ‘Donkey Route’, to go to greener pastures in search of better prospects; this ‘route’ is absolutely legal.

In November last year, the Israel Builders Association requested the Government of India to send construction workers to Israel. Why? Because post war, the work permits of a large number of Palestinians have been revoked.

The construction industry of Israel is therefore looking for workers from India and other countries to fill in the vacancies. This is a sincere request from Israel to address their workers shortage because rebuilding Gaza will now require a global effort.

Never mind the fact that destroying it was a downright decision taken by the Israelis, without any consultation from anyone at all.

Therefore, following the agreement between both countries, the exercise is now being pushed through the NSDC- National Skill Development Council. Haryana and Uttarakhand have already gone ahead with the plan by inviting applications.

A 15-member Israeli team also arrived last Monday to India for the recruitment drives. The dream job, which will pay about Rs 1.37 lakhs per month to the jobless desi youth, who will be lured by foreign prospects, will be in complete accordance with the Israeli laws, regulation and procedures.

Now for the fine print, that unmasks the hidden layers beneath all the glamorous façade. For the workers who are about to embark on their dream destination, not only will they have to travel at their own cost, the food and accommodation will also be deducted from their whopping salary.

So, on their sojourn there, they can forget about staying in palatial mansions or gorging on Shakshuka, Schnitzel, Hummus, Pitzukhim or Sabikh. Since there is also no labour protection on their insurance or medical coverage, and no guarantee for their employment either, (which the government insists for workers heading to most gulf countries or other labour markets) they can also take care not to fall sick, or file any complaints.

In spite of everything, whosoever decides to apply because of the acute unemployment problem that persists, the Ministry of External Affairs has declined to take responsibility for any contractual protection. No guarantees here.

The Union Labour Ministry and the Haryana Labour Minister also have nothing to say because they both feel that it is the MEA that monitors the migration of workers. Given that the recruitment is taking place as a B2B- Business to Business, it is none of their business; because anything that doesn’t involve you, doesn’t concern you either.

Since there are too many unanswered questions literally hanging in the air, let me add a few more. Those who question, know that any sentence beginning with ‘Why’, ‘When’ and ‘How’ is important. So even if there are no answers, they need to be asked.

Why is everyone blatantly ignoring the immigration laws by passing the buck off to one another? When will the genocide end? For like the rest of the world, if we truly believe in a ceasefire, doesn’t this act of sending our workers there, feel against the Indian ethos?

How is this act right in any way, when we don’t even pretend to have an ounce of consideration for human life?

If the frustrated unemployed youth is being deceived, it’s not because they are fools. It’s because they are so helpless, they have no other option but to trust someone they look up to. To take advantage of their vulnerability does not expose their weakness but only reveals your own selfishness.

Like the great detective Sherlock Holmes once said: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” Here, there are not one but two evident truths.

Citizens living in a safe haven cannot be sent to a war stricken zone by luring them with a ‘passport to dreams abroad’. Instead you bring back those that are already there.

You cannot endanger the lives of innocent people by sending them to conflict zones. Instead arrangements should be made to create vacancies for their employment in their own homeland.

Those who love their country should be prepared to love all of their countrymen; especially those who have already tasted the rawness of life. When citizens are united and leaders are trustworthy, there's no wrong that cannot be fixed.