Nepal-UAE Labour Agreement Comes Into Effect From Today

Ashok Ghimire

5 Nov., Kathmandu :  The bilateral labour agreement signed between Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 12 this year has com into effect from today. The first labour-related joint working committee (JWC) of Nepal and the UAE in Kathmandu on Monday led to the implementation of the agreement which is aimed at securing the welfare of the Nepali migrant workers in the UAE.

The two-day meeting had finalized the issues surrounding the effective implementation of the agreement that agrees to revise the labour provisions in line with the post-2007 in the basic tenets and principles in the labour migration. The meeting had also agreed on the terms as fixation of item cost in regard with the recruitment of workers, employment and their return among others. The UAE is the fourth major labour destination for the Nepali migrant workers. Annually, over 50,000 Nepali workers enter the labour market in the UAE.

The JWC meeting where representatives from both countries had participated has clearly defined the recruitment process of the workers according to which the employers shall bear all the expenses of the VISA, two-way ticket and medical examination among others. The aspiring Nepali migrant workers, however, have to bear the cost of welfare fund contribution and insurance coverage themselves. Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Umesh Dhungana, who had led the Nepali delegation to the JWC meeting, said that the meeting had agreed to include issues such as special security and other welfare related provisions in the draft relating to the Nepali domestic workers in UAE.

Furthermore, agreement was reached to move ahead holding more discussions between the concerned parties on the legal provisions regarding employing Nepali domestic workers in the UAE, shared Joint Secretary Dhungana. A new law regarding hiring Nepali domestic workers to the UAE has come into effect for which the UAE government has established ‘Tadbeer Centres.” These Centres, established on the principle of partnership between the government and the private, provides integrated services to recruit and employ domestic workers from Nepal in the UAE. The labour agreement also guarantees that the Nepali workers could get free access to justice, could switch to another job and work overtime. rss