GOVERNMENT TO EXPEL EXPATRIATE WORKERS

The Mauritian government announced on 15 July 2009 that it will send several thousand expatriate workers home by the end of 2009 in an effort to protect local jobs in the textile sector. The Confederation for Private Sector Workers -- the union representing the expatriate workers -- stated that approximately 6,000 Bangladeshi workers, including 4,000 who work in clothing factories, have been ordered to leave the island within six months. Mauritius' textile sector is suffering due to the global economic downturn, and authorities have decided to expel expatriate workers in order to protect local workers as factories cut jobs. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) reports that the textile industry contributes 6.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for 11 percent of the island's employment