Employer pay model would lighten the financial burden of migrant workers
Remittances from Nepali migrant workers contribute about a fourth to the country's gross domestic product and help keep the Nepali economy afloat. Were it not for the money sent home by millions of workers working especially in Malaysia and the Gulf countries, Nepal's economy would have long collapsed. Earnings from Nepal's exports cannot even meet its import of petroleum products, let alone other goods, including food. However, these youths, who play such a big role in the country's economy, must face multiple hassles, including financial, even before they can fly abroad. It is against this backdrop that the People's Forum for Human Rights, Nepal has demanded a revision of the Foreign Employment Act. On Saturday, it submitted a 28-page memorandum to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security urging the government to enforce the employer pay model, among others. This would ensure that migrant workers did not have to pay a single penny to reach their labour destination and work there.
Actually, way back in July 2015, the government had passed a directive that obligated foreign employers hiring Nepali migrant workers to bear the cost of the visa and flight tickets. The rule was introduced to prevent recruitment agencies from charging excessive fees to the workers. For years, migrant workers, their families and trade unions had been demanding free tickets and free visas– money that they would otherwise have to borrow from the local loan sharks. Companies in seven countries, namely, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Malaysia were required to adopt the 'Free Visa, Free Ticket' policy. However, the government policy met with stiff resistance from the manpower recruitment agencies, citing it would make hiring of Nepali workers less attractive. In 2016, the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies even halted their recruitment operations for an indefinite period, demanding a revision of the policy.
The Forum has also demanded that the government end the ban on women working as maids in the Gulf countries. The ban, although introduced in good faith, has backfired with women seeking alternative routes through India to reach the labour destinations. There are cases galore of women being not only sexually abused but also stranded in war-torn countries. How the government can ensure the safety of women working in the Gulf countries while respecting their right to work at par with men is a challenge. Migrant workers are also known to be duped by the recruitment agencies, with the job and salary very different from the ones promised. The Forum has, therefore, demanded that the Chief District Officers (CDO) be empowered to appoint investigators to probe irregularities in foreign employment. This would save the victims from having to travel to Kathmandu to take up their cases. There are far too many Nepalis going abroad for work - a figure that will only increase with few job opportunities at home - hence the government can no longer take foreign employment lightly. It must hold wide consultations with all the stakeholders before making any amendment in the Labour Employment Act to see that it serves the interest of the migrant workers.
NAC's new destination
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), the national flag carrier, has decided to start direct flights to Dammam in Saudi Arabia from September 6. NAC officials have said bookings have opened for the twice-weekly flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The promotional flight fare from Kathmandu to Dammam has been fixed at Rs 35,000. Dammam is NAC's 11th international flight destination, which will be conducted by two wide-body and two narrow-body aircraft. It is a welcome move on the part of the NAC to expand its services to those destinations where a large number of Nepali migrant workers are employed.
However, the national flag carrier should also start its services from Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports, which have not seen any such flights since their construction, for which the government has spent billions of rupees. These two newly-built airports can be made fully functional provided that NAC operates international flights to some select Gulf countries and Malaysia. For this, NAC should add a couple of narrow-body aircraft in its fleet. What NAC should also bear in mind is that more than 70 per cent of the migrant workers come from outside the federal capital.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 21, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
