Thai workers given green light to return to Libya

BANGKOK, February 9 (TNA) - Thailand is poised to send at least 10,000 workers back to Libya, after the political situation in the North African country has returned to normal, as reported by the Thai Embassy in Tripoli. Department of Employment Director-General Prawit Keangphon told journalists that his department has informed the update to local authorized job placement firms, acknowledging that Libya’s construction and piped-oil industrial sectors now need more than 100,000 workers, at least 10,000 of them should be the opportunity of Thai workers. Prawit said that the government has a policy to send Thai workers whose employment contracts have remained effective but have been suspended due to a recent political unrest in Libya back to the North African country first without any additional charge. According to the senior Thai Labour Ministry official, his department has, nonetheless, imposed four new regulations for legally exporting Thai labours to Libya, including requirements that job placement firms or employers provide life insurance policies for Thai workers and verified documents issued by employers in Libya that Thai workers will have their wages unchanged and will be guaranteed travelling costs in case of any renewed unrest in the North African nation, as well as have evacuation plans back home for Thai workers prepared. The senior official noted that Thai workers will be immediately approved to fly to work in Libya, once they have secured all the required documents. Official figures indicated that a total of 10,754 Thai workers returned home from Libya last year, following the political violence in the North African country, first breaking out in February 2011, only 2,483 of them have not yet been paid their wages from their employers in Libya and the Department of Employment is taking care of the Thai workers, including sending Thai labour envoys to Libya soon to seek the unpaid wages for the Thai workers. (TNA)