DOHA: Nepal has urged Qatar to hire its skilled workforce as well, and insists that orientation be provided to its citizens going there to take up unskilled and semi-skilled jobs.
Among the issues discussed with the visiting Qatari Minister of Labour and Social Affairs were compulsory orientation for Nepali workers before they travel and workers’ safety, said Nepal’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
Tek Bahadur Gurung was quoted by Nepali media as saying yesterday that his country has urged Qatar to make it binding for employers to bear the commission paid to manpower agencies.
Kathmandu-based online newspaper ekantipur.com quoted Gurung as saying that in a meeting with H E Dr Abdullah bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, that arranging for the cost charged by recruiting agents could lead to zero-recruitment cost for Nepali workers.
The State Minister said that several other issues including providing 24-hour insurance to Nepali workers were also discussed with Al Khulaifi and his delegation. He said Qatar’s Minister has said that he would convey the observations and concerns of the Nepali side to policy-makers in his country.
The Nepali side also raised the issue of the need to pay Nepali workers their wages through banking channels. Qatar has already passed a law which makes it binding on all employers to pay the wages of all their workers through electronic channels.
QNA reported that Al Khulaifi yesterday continued his discussion with Gurung, and met Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav and they discussed issues of mutual interest.
The Peninsula
