Recruitment system faces glitches, Indian workers' jobs at stake

The delays in the process have led to the expiry of employment visas issued to several workers.

Hundreds of Indian workers' jobs are at stake due to teething problems in a new online recruitment system, Khaleej Times has learnt.
The e-Migrate system has backfired with glitches resulting in a major crisis in the recruitment of blue-collar Indian workers to the UAE.
The system was implemented here last month to ensure transparency and to end exploitation of workers.
Registering through the website of the new system www.emigrate.gov.in and getting an approval from the Indian missions are now mandatory for recruiting workers requiring emigration clearance from India.
Around 45 per cent of the over two million Indians working in the UAE, which forms the largest workforce based on nationality, comes under this category. About 3,000 such workers are recruited to the UAE every month. However, several employers based in the UAE have found it difficult to recruit them through the new system.
The delays in the process have led to the expiry of employment visas issued to several workers, which one official estimated at close to 1,000. Sources aware of the issues told Khaleej Times that the ambitious project of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has fallen flat due to the glitches in the software.
"The Indian government has implemented it without any trial. Neither did they stick to the phase-wise implementation announced here. There are lots of levels of approvals and the software doesn't work properly," said a source.
Frustrated employers and company representatives have been venting out their anger at officials at the Indian Consulate in Dubai and its outsourced service agency IVS Global.
On Sunday, a large group of people created commotion at the consulate premises and had to be dispersed by the police guarding the mission. "The software is not generating the user name and password for most of the companies. Those who have received them are unable go further," said an employee at a typing centre in Sharjah.
K. Thulaseedharan, who runs a tyre shop and an automobile spare parts shop, said four visas issued to get Indian workers for his shops have expired due to this issue.
"The immigration department here will not reissue the visas. Small companies like ours are in big trouble because of this. We are losing money spent on visas and are unable to finish our works," he said.
While employers are protesting here, job seekers are worried in India. Some have been sending out desperate pleas to hire them soon and are reportedly planning to launch protests there. "One worker said he will commit suicide if his visa is delayed further," said a source.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE, T.P. Seetharam, said the Indian missions were aware of the issues. "These are teething problems and we have already written to Delhi listing out the issues faced by the companies here. We hope they will be solved soon," he said.
Another official from the consulate said letters had been sent to ministries of Overseas Indian Affairs, External Affairs and also the Prime Minister's Office.
The Rs100 crore e-migration software developed by Tata Consultancy Services had already come under fire in India, according to previous reports.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE