The government has taken special initiatives forthe bilateral labour agreement (BLA) with the major working destinations ofNepali migrant workers, according to Labour and Employment Minister FarmullhaMansur.

Mansur informed that the government is trying to sign theBLA with the Gulf countries, where a large number of Nepali migrant workers areworking.“We signed the BLA with Jordan last month and the ministry is seriouslytaking initiatives to sign such agreements with other destinations,” Mansurinformed in a programme organised by the ministry to mark International MigrantWorker’s Day.

Mansur also said the government is serious to protect thebasic rights of Nepali migrant workers who are working in various workingdestinations. He also stated that remittance has played a significant role inchanging the society and economy of the country, however, migrant workers arestill suffering from multiple problems in their working stations. “We have seenmultiple cases of migrant workers facing hardships in their work destinations,and the concerned authorities and private sector have to unite to solve theproblems of migrant workers,” Mansur said.

Similarly, Sudeep Pathak, member of National Human RightsCommission, informed that the constitutional body has also started to registerthe grievances of the migrant workers who were victimised during the course oftheir work or by the manpower agencies.

Likewise, Secretary at Ministry of Labour and EmploymentLaxman Prasad Mainali informed that the government has started specialprogrammes to reduce malpractices in the sector. He also stated that governmentis working to ensure legal recourse for migrants.

As per the data maintained by the ministry, a total of 4.76million Nepali migrant workers are working in multiple destinations across theworld, including Malaysia and the Gulf countries.

Source:The Himalayan Times, 19^th December 2017