Govt speeds up labor attaché deployments

Govt speeds up labor attaché deployments
eKantipur.com, 29-Sep-2007

To address the mounting problems related to Nepal's overseas laborers, the government has speeded up the process of deputing labor attachés in the countries where a significant number of Nepali laborers are working, State Minister for Labor Ramesh Lekhak said on Saturday.

He said that the ministry on Friday had decided to forward a proposal to the Ministry of Finance asking for the necessary budget.

The existing Labor Act requires the government to deploy labor attachés in countries absorbing more than 5000 Nepali workers. But so far, it has not done so for any of these countries. There are almost a dozen countries which have over 5,000 Nepali workers. In the absence of attachés, the concerned embassies are looking after the labor issues.

"Labor attachés will be deputed on a need and priority basis in these countries," Lekhak said, talking to the Post. He added that the final decision will be taken in co-ordination with the finance and foreign ministries. In yet another development, Nepal is likely to sign a memorandum of understating (MoU) with Malaysia soon. "Preparation for the signing with the South-east Asian country is in its final stages," he said on Saturday at an interaction program on Foreign Employment and the Media.

Observing that the competition among unskilled laborers from different countries is intensifying, he underlined the need to produce semi-skilled and skilled laborers to meet the demand of the international labor markets. "It is an irony that we are still exporting unskilled laborer who are now facing a cut-throat competition. This has resulted in their wages declining," he said. Presenting a paper, Dr Bishwambher Pyakuryal said about 26 percent of the growth in convertible currency is from remittance, indicating its rising importance in the country's economy.

Kiran Nepal, president of Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) said that foreign recruiting agents must maintain transparency and improve their behavior to minimize negative news in media as well as establish the profession as a dignified one. LP Sanwa Limbu, president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agents (NAFEA), expressed commitment to instill corporate culture and professionalism in the sector. Saru Joshi, regional manager of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) urged the government to make a legal framework to facilitate women talking up overseas jobs.