Altogether 119 Nepali workers, who have been launching protest programmes against their employer’s failure to pay the minimum monthly salary and perks meant for the workers as per the labour agreement between Nepal and Qatar, are all set to be deported.

About 600 Nepali migrant workers working at the Qatar Freelance Trading and Contracting and Qatar Middle East Company were on strike for the past one week demanding, among others, that their employers pay them the minimum monthly salary set by the government for Nepali working in Qatar. They complained that they had been paid only QR600 as against the minimum monthly salary of QR900 set by the Nepal government. “Among the Nepali protesters, 119 stood adamant on their demand that they would rather go home if the company did not provide them the minimum monthly salary set by the Nepal government.

They are now being deported as the Qatari company decided to send them all back home instead of increasing their salary,” said Lilanath Dahal, labour attaché at the Nepali embassy in Doha of Qatar. He said other agitating migrants returned to the company to work on the same old salary. “We came here to earn money. Why should we stay here if our perks and salaries are just enough to manage our meals and we cannot save anything to send back home?” questioned Narendra Thapa Magar, a migrant worker from Bardiya.  

The migrant workers who are ready to return home are currently kept at the deportation centre. According to Dahal, they will be deported soon with salary they are entitled to get. Qatar is the first preferred labour destination for Nepali aspirants. An estimated 400,000 Nepalis are working in the country.

Published on: 29 November 2014 | The Kathmandu Post