Want an end to discrimination and disparities
KATHMANDU, JUNE 17
On behalf of ex-Gurkhas of the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Gurkha Police Force, British Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation and BGAESO Singapore Gurkhas Department today jointly submitted a 16-point memorandum to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanding redressal of longstanding discrimination and disparities BGAESO Singapore Gurkhas Department has been facing.
BGAESO Singapore Gurkhas Department submitted the memorandum to British PM through British Ambassador to Nepal demanding equal payment and perks for Gurkhas serving in Singapore.
Memorandum has mentioned about discrimination in terms of pay, pension and other facilities compared to the Singapore nationals who perform similar duties in the Singapore Police Forces.
This is a gross violation of the right to equal pay for equal work provisioned in the International Labour Organisation Convention 1946 and International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 1966, BGAESO SGD said in the memorandum.
They have demanded following 16 points to the British prime minister through the memorandum.
We are recruited by the British Government for the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Forces, trained and commanded by the British Army officers. Our pay, pension and other benefits are fixed and managed by the British government. But neither the British nor the Singapore government look after our problems, BGAESO SGD said.
"We must ask you, to whom do we belong, the British or the Singapore service? Who is responsible for us? The British government or the Singapore government? Are we or are we not recruited under the Tripartite agreement governing the recruitment of Nepalis for the British Army?" BGAESO SGD wondered.
BGAESO SGD said British Gurkhas and Singapore Gurkhas are recruited under similar terms and conditions and perform similar duties, they should be paid equal pay and pension like their British counterparts and/or they should be paid under the same pay code as per Singapore Police Force with similar perks and benefits.
Some of their key demands are:
• Singapore Gurkha widows should be paid equal pension and other benefits to those received by British Gurkha widows.
• The basic pay scale of the Singapore Gurkhas should be raised and the pension should be paid on the basis of the increased scale of basic pay. The pay and pension should be revised annually as per the growing rate of inflation in Nepal.
• Singapore Gurkha wives and their children of working age should be given work permits to work in Singapore according to their qualifications while residing in Singapore.
• Singapore Gurkha children should be permitted to stay in Singapore to pursue higher education if they desire to do so. They should be provided with scholarships for their higher education in Singapore.
• The children of Singapore Gurkhas born in Singapore should be given the same child rights and children's benefits as other Singaporean children enjoy in Singapore.
Singapore Gurkha's Nepal-born children should also be provided with residential work permits in Singapore.
• The Singapore Gurkhas and their families should be provided with the same MBIM medical benefits, which they received in Singapore, from any major hospitals in Nepal.
• Appropriate compensation should be paid and a regular pension should be provided to those Singapore Gurkhas who became physically unfit to work due to serious accidents during their service period or who were medically discharged from the active services.
• Those Singapore Gurkhas who were discharged empty-handed based on unproven allegations should be paid pension and other benefits.
• Singapore Gurkhas and their families should be provided with residential visas and work permits in Singapore or the United Kingdom after their service.
• The eligible age to join the Singapore Police Force should be raised from 17.6 to 20 years. While 45 years old is a prime working age, the retirement age should be made the same as that of our Singaporean counterparts.
• The Singapore Government should not prohibit unmarried Singapore Gurkhas from marrying persons who hold passports from other countries than Nepal. They should be given the freedom to choose their life partners from among any international community.
This restriction is a violation of fundamental human rights.
• The Tripartite Agreement signed by the British and India is unequal a fact that successive Nepali governments have ignored.
Since the treaty is unequal and injurious to the national sovereignty of Nepal, we call for its abolition and replacement with bilateral labour agreements that ensure all Gurkhas' fair treatment equal to nationals of the armed forces in which we serve.
• The British and Singapore governments should fulfil the demands put forth by the Singapore Department of British Gorkha Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (BGAESO) on behalf of the Singapore Gurkhas.
• Nepal government should take the political and diplomatic initiative to fulfil the demands of Singapore Gurkhas submitted to the British and Singapore governments.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 18, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
