Protect overseas job opportunity: Manpower agents

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Sept 7: Manpower agents have warned that growing cases of unionization of Nepali workers in different labor destinations could bring down Nepalis´ prospects for overseas jobs in the future and has decided to seek the government´s diplomatic support to protect foreign employment opportunities.

Holding a meeting, Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) on Monday assessed that increasing number of cases where Nepali overseas workers are launching agitations in violation of local laws have created a negative impression toward Nepali workers in recent months.

Unfortunately, such activities have mainly grown in Malaysia and Qatar, the most favored destinations for Nepali workers.

“Hence, we have decided to request the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to convince the governments of major employer countries not to lower the demand for Nepali workers in coming days,” said Kumud Khanal, general secretary of NAFEA.

Khanal also warned that the Malaysian government was preparing to take a decision on how to deal with Nepali workers in the future after the Ramadan Festival.

“The Malaysian government has taken the protest of migrant workers led by Nepalis over a death of a Nepali worker seriously and is considering giving less priority to Nepalis in the future,” he said.

Recruiting agencies said Qatar was also going to shift its priority to the workers from other countries in response to cases of protests launched by Nepalis which go against the local laws.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 569,667 workers have left for jobs in Malaysia and 483,148 have gone to Qatar for jobs over last 16 years.

However, Dhruba Koirala, labor attaché to Qatar, said the Qatar government has not indicated any shift in priority to other country in place of Nepal to source workers.

“We have not received any reports of curtail in demands for Nepali workers there. Instead, we have received positive indications from Qatari officials about chances of increasing quotas for Nepali workers next year,” Koirala stated.