Foreign employment recruiting agencies have asked concerned authorities to suspend the free visa and ticket provision until the government signs a labour agreement with the work destinations.

•    The agencies have proposed to form a taskforce to recommend the government on the favourability of such provision after consulting the labour receiving country.

•    “We want the government to suspend the provision until it signs a labour agreement with the concerned work destinations and amend the Foreign Employment Act,” said Kumud Khanal, vice chairman of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (Nafea). The government, however, has refused to suspend the new rule.

•    Frontline service of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) continue to be disrupted, affecting hundreds of migrant workers each day since the recruiting agencies shut down their business and imposed an infinite strike on July 8.

•    Both sides said the foreign employment service is unlikely to resume until next talks scheduled for Wednesday.  

•    Government officials engaged in talks with the recruiting agencies claim that most of the protesters are ready to agree on free visa and free ticket provision if the government increases the service charge to Rs 15,000 from the current Rs 10,000.

•    Khanal said there has not been any discussion on the service charge though it is one of their demands. Even if the service charge is increased, they should be entitled to one month’s salary of the workers in accordance with the international practice, he added.

•     “Besides free visa and ticket, there are also differences on VLN and Biometrics health check of system,” he said. Nafea has submitted a 35-point demand.

Published on: 20 July 2015 | The Kathmandu Post