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By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 8 February 2013:
The Deputy Labour Minister Abdulrazag Tamtam announced that the government has stopped foreign workers from entering Libya, . . .[restrict]officially at least, until further notice.
Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, Tamtam said that the Libyan government has decided to halt the entry of foreign labour until further notice, except for large development projects.
Tamtam added that no foreign worker should enter Libya without having a health certificate, but noted that this procedure was not being implemented properly at Libya’s entry points.
The Deputy Labour Minister also pointed out that many foreign workers were entering Libya as tourists, on a tourist visa, and once in Libya they were overstaying their visa and working.
He blamed the inactivation of the Passports Department and Labour Ministry inspectors for the foreign workers’ ability to use this ploy to work in Libya. He hoped that when the various government Ministries are linked by internet this issue could be addressed.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Nouredin Doughman, speaking at the same press conference on health issues, added that he has given instructions to stop the practice of taking a blood sample from foreign arrivals at Libya’s airports. Doughman said that this practice, implemented by the thuwar at airports, goes against international standards and practice.
“We had a female VIP crying on the phone to us as they were going to force her to give a blood sample at the airport’’, the Health Minister complained. “Another arrival, an examiner refused to give blood and returned home saying that if Libyans want to sit the exam they must fly to that country”.
Doughman stressed that the instant procedure for testing for various diseases carried out at some Libyan airports was unscientific. Many tests need hours if not a day or more. The procedure of sending back workers on the same airplane they had arrived on was wrong, as the tests carried out were meaningless, he stressed. [/restrict]
