Nepal, Bahrain to Ink Labour Pact

Nepal, Bahrain to Ink Labour Pact
ArthaExpress, 28-Apr-08

Nepal and Bahrain are set to ink a bilateral labour pact — that will pave way for secured employment opportunities and provide legal recognition to Nepali migrant workers in this Gulf state — on Tuesday.

Bahrain´s labour minister Dr Majeed Bin Muhsin Al Alawi is arriving Kathmandu tomorrow on a three-day long official visit leading a nine-member delegation.

Dr Al Alawi is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his Nepali counterpart Ramesh Lekhak on Tuesday here in Kathmandu, said Uddav Baskota, spokesperson at the ministry of labour and transport management.

According to him, the accord will not only set a legal framework for hundreds of migrant workers but also clearly spells out requirements needed for the job seekers and recruiting agencies in the source country. The employers in Bahrain will then be bound to comply with domestic labour laws and provide facilities as per the laws.

The accord seeks to protect workers´ rights and prevent improper practices by private labour supply agencies which tend to exploit the workers by demanding exaggerated fees, providing false information about their working conditions in host country as well as misleading the employers in Bahrain regarding the workers´ qualifications, experiences and documents.

More than 10,000 Nepalis are currently working in Bahrain as domestic helps. Most of them are unskilled labourers.

Meanwhile, a high-level Nepali delegation is leaving for Tokyo on May first week to take fresh stock of information on possibility to send Nepali migrant workers to Japan and also discuss with high-level government officials to ink a bilateral labour pact.

Labour secretary Shyam Prasad Mainali is leading the Nepali delegation and is scheduled to meet his Japanese counterpart and senior office bearers of the Japan Industrial and Technical Cooperation Organisation (JITCO) during his stay in Japan.