Roshan Sedhai

Despite amassing some 2.14 billion rupees in the Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund (MWWF), the government has failed to do even the bare minimum to address the safety, security and welfare concerns of the migrant population.

The progress reports of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB), a government body responsible to use the MWWF, reveal that the government is yet to launch around a dozen programmes announced when it was set up six years ago. The Board has been collecting Rs 1,000 from every overseas-bound migrant since its formation in October, 2008.

The Foreign Employment Promotion Act (2007) and the FEPB statute state that the MWWF would be used in providing free education to the children of migrant workers, health facilities to their families, conducting study of the workplace, conducting trainings for migrant workers, exploring newer and safer work destinations, holding MoU consulting meetings, operating safe houses across the country and creating a rehabilitation package. 

The FEPB is also responsible for paying compensation in times of deaths and injuries of migrant workers and evacuating them during crises. All that the government has done so far is provide compensation.

Although there have been fresh initiatives in providing training, especially to women migrant workers, the number of attendees is too few to make a significant impact.

Stakeholders claim that various factors like negligence of concerned bodies and differences  over the use of the fund have hindered the welfare programmes. FEPB sources said the office is reluctant to make use of fund as its past projects proved largely ineffective.

“What’s the use of pouring in money in new projects while most of it goes in the pockets of officials instead of the workers welfare? The situation at the ground is far bleak than what’s seen in glossy progress reports” said an FEPB official.

Stakeholders said numerous ministries should be held accountable for the misuse and mismanagement of the fund and not just the FEPB officials. The The 25-member board led by the minister of labour and employment include representatives from a dozen other ministries, government bodies, recruiting agencies and workers.

According to some officials at the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), the government has crippled the FEPB by failing to allocate adequate staffers and resources. The FEPB has not been able to hold regular meetings. Only eight meetings were held during the tenure of the two preceding labour ministers.  “Moreover, the board has been taking unilateral decisions by discarding representatives of recruiting agencies, medical association, and trade unions,” said Bal Bahadur Tamang, the former chairman of NAFEA.

Officials at the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), meanwhile, said that the FEPB is slowly making its presence felt among the workers and stakeholders, but much still remains to be done. MoLE Spokesperson Buddhi Bahadur Khadka said that the ministry is gradually taking up the welfare initiatives.

“The board has recently taken initiative to give training to the out-bound migrant workers and empowering the returnee women. We are planning to increase the number and explore reintegration programmes in the near future,” said Khadka.

Two years on, Board without executive

With the government having failed to appoint a new executive director after the death of Sthaneshwor Devkota in 2012, the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) has remained without a head for over two years making the board practically ineffective. The government has temporarily sufficed the administrative vacuum from among the board staffers.

Devkota, FEPB’s first executive director, died in a car accident in Bhimphedi, Makwanpur in March 2012.

Stakeholders believe that the government ’s failure to appoint an executive director has slowed down the introduction of new welfare programmes for migrant workers and the old plans are gathering dust at the office due to lack of proper guidance.

It has also affected daily administrative duties, officials told the Post. The executive director is the member-secretary of the board of 25-members comprising representatives of various government al and non- government al stakeholders. The board secretariat implements the plans and policies.

“The acting head is always reluctant to take risk in introducing new plans and policies. This the reason why the Board has not come up with high budget programmes in the last two years fearing objection and criticism from other stakeholders,” said a FEPB official.

The Ministry of Foreign Employment said it is aware of the problem and is working to appoint a new executive director. MoLE officials said it’s preparing to introduce more effective welfare projects to train the migrant workers.

“The ministry has initiated the process to appoint the new chief. We hope it won’t take long,” said MoLE spokesperson Buddhi Bahadur Khadka. According to sources, the appointment will likely be made soon as the new labour minister, also the chairperson of the Board, has expressed concern.

Published on: 19 March 2014 | The Kathmandu Post