Malaysia-bound migrant workers ‘paying high fees’
Year of Publication: 2 August 2012 | The Kathmandu Post
Publication Type: NEWS
Published by: CESLAM
Roshan Sedhai
Nepali migrant workers going to Malaysia have been forced to pay high charges to the manpower agencies than the amount fixed by the government, according to a study carried out by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE).
The report says even when the company seeking labourers from Nepal sent free visa and free tickets, the migrant workers were found to have paid huge amount exceeding what the government has fixed. The government has fixed a maximum Rs 80,000 that manpower agencies could charge for workers heading to Malaysia.
“We found workers were paying as high as Rs 120,000 even for the free visa,” said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, head of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).
According to him, manpower agencies were found to have charged varied sum from workers going to the same company for the same job. “There is a need for slashing the recruitment charges as worker has to bear costs of insurance, passport renewal, agent commission among other,” says the report, which is yet to be formally released.
The study based on a survey among the Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia, some recruiting Malaysian companies, Nepali embassy there, manpower agencies and the meeting with the Malaysian government, has also unveiled the fact that the Nepali workers were being poorly paid.
“Contrary to the original contract paper that specifies the working hours and the wage, the workers are pressed to work in piece basis and are poorly paid while working longer than normal hours,” reads the report.
Such piece based work assignments have been basically found in the areas of plantation, construction and agriculture sectors.
In order to control such trend, the report has suggested the Nepali mission in Malaysia to verify the demands in those sectors. It has also asked the Nepali mission to blacklist the employing companies and outsourcing agencies and recommended further action from the DoFE.
The Nepali delegation involved in study and the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources discussed on the pressing issue concerning the workers’ welfare, according to DoFE officials. The two sides discussed on the status of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the major concerns of Nepal with regard to Nepali workers there.
Bhattarai, who was also part of study team, said that there are a few difference on the proposed MoU which will be solved through further dialogue. “The MoU will probably be signed this year,” said Bhattarai, explaining that the discussion had focused on the need for regulating the industry, making recruiting agencies systematic and organised both at the source and the destination countries.
The two sides also held talks on expanding jobs for both male and female workers in security, domestic help, hospitality management and other service sectors. Both countries have realised the ne
ed to set a supervision mechanism for the better communication and coordination.
Considering the difficulties faced by the workers, both the parties expressed commitment to provide mandatory pre-departure orientation and training courses and favorable work environment for the workers. The meeting also agreed to increase compliance with terms and conditions of contract, while emphasising the need to ensure the occupational safety and workplace improvement.
Published on: 2 August 2012 | The Kathmandu Post
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