Nepal cracks down on migrant recruitment fraud
1 August 2014
Nepal is cracking down on fraudulent recruitment firms by making it compulsory for migrant workers and agencies to sign contracts before a government official, Nepalese media firm Kantipur Publications reported today.
Fri, 1 Aug 2014
Nepal is cracking down on fraudulent recruitment firms by making it compulsory for migrant workers and agencies to sign contracts before a government official, Nepalese media firm Kantipur Publications reported today.
When the provision comes into effect, expected to be within a few months, workers and recruitment agencies would both need to present themselves at the Department of Foreign Employment to sign the work contract.
The department will not issue labour permits to non-complying recruiting agencies.
Kantipur reported the department, Nepali missions in labour destinations and other authorities as receiving hundreds of complaints about low wages and work benefits due to the lack of an authorised body to oversee such work contracts.
Department officials were quoted as saying workers generally paid high recruitment fees and did not get what they were promised while the department was unable to do much to curb such practices.
Ministry spokesperson Buddhi Bahadur Khadka said the provision would allow migrants to have “conscious choice, while discouraging recruitment agencies to deceive workers”.
In the initial phase, the provision would only apply to agencies recruiting for Oman but it would gradually be applied for other labour destinations including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
The publication said there had been some opposition from recruitment firms with the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies saying the provision would give department officials the upper hand.
Nepal is cracking down on fraudulent recruitment firms by making it compulsory for migrant workers and agencies to sign contracts before a government official, Nepalese media firm Kantipur Publications reported today.
When the provision comes into effect, expected to be within a few months, workers and recruitment agencies would both need to present themselves at the Department of Foreign Employment to sign the work contract.
The department will not issue labour permits to non-complying recruiting agencies.
Kantipur reported the department, Nepali missions in labour destinations and other authorities as receiving hundreds of complaints about low wages and work benefits due to the lack of an authorised body to oversee such work contracts.
Department officials were quoted as saying workers generally paid high recruitment fees and did not get what they were promised while the department was unable to do much to curb such practices.
Ministry spokesperson Buddhi Bahadur Khadka said the provision would allow migrants to have “conscious choice, while discouraging recruitment agencies to deceive workers”.
In the initial phase, the provision would only apply to agencies recruiting for Oman but it would gradually be applied for other labour destinations including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
The publication said there had been some opposition from recruitment firms with the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies saying the provision would give department officials the upper hand.
