As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with
Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its
interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process. In
Qatar, migrant workers represent about 90 per cent of its resident
population, and Nepalis represent a significant number of its migrant
workforce.
As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with
Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its
interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process.
Qatar, which hosts hundreds of thousand
Nepalis, has proposed a ‘zero cost’ modality for employing migrant workers in
the country. The developments come as another relief for Nepali workers who
face a number of hassles before departing for the job destination and while
working in a foreign country.
Malaysia is due to sign a labour agreement
with Nepal this week, sparing workers the huge expenses that they are
currently charged in various phases of recruitment. According to Mahesh
Prasad Dahal, secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social
Security, the Qatari proposal is a welcome step as it would benefit both the
governments and thousands of migrant Nepalis who are compelled to go abroad
for work in the absence of employment opportunities at home.
For following up on the proposal and designing
necessary mechanisms, high-level Qatari officials will be visiting Nepal on
November 6 and 7. A technical working group of the Nepal government will also
be visiting Qatar in the second week of December.
Both the countries are working to review their
labour pact for making it migrant worker- friendly by protecting their rights
and ensuring their safety, according to Dahal. Nepal signed a labour
agreement with Qatar in 2005.Qatar has decided to open its labour office,
called the service centre for Qatar-bound Nepalis, to facilitate the hiring
process. It would provide pre-departure services like attestation of
documents, visa processing, signing of labour contracts and issuing worker identity
cards before departure.
In November last year, Qatar decided to set up
such service centres, similar to one-stop solution for migrant workers, in
countries that contribute large numbers of workers. The Interior Ministry of
Qatar signed an agreement with a Singapore based firm—Biomet—to simplify the
visa process for workers applying for jobs in gas-rich Qatar.
According to an official with the Ministry of
Labour, Employment and Social Security, as part of the review process, Qatar
proposed ‘zero cost’ modality for hiring Nepali workers. However, the review
of labour agreement did not reach any significant stage as Nepal’s government
did not hear back from the Qatari government. A successful review could have
saved Nepali workers from paying an exorbitant amount of money to secure jobs
in Qatar.
Migrant workers will not be put through the
pre-departure formalities in the host country again as their details will be
electronically linked.In the first phase, service centres are said to be
established in eight countries—India, Nepal,
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