Oil-rich Gulf nations, already facing labor protests, are getting new pressure from India, which wants them to pay minimum wages for unskilled workers. The move by India -- which has 5 million workers in the Gulf, making it the largest source of migrants -- is the strongest push yet by workers' home countries to win better conditions for their citizens. In the past, countries focused on maintaining the flow of billions of dollars workers send home every year, not their welfare. Indian officials say they hope to sign bilateral agreements with Gulf nations setting minimum wages that would be spelled out in contracts enforced by both India and the host countries, whose economies depend on imported labor.
See "India Pushes for Worker Rights in Gulf", Associated Press, The New York Times, March 26, 2008