Responding to a host of  complaints about the problems that face Nepali workers in Libya, the government has completely stopped issuing prior and final approval for sending workers to that country.

In the last two years since the government formally gave permission for manpower agencies to send workers to Libya, more than 2,500 persons have already reached there through institutional channels, to work mainly in the construction sector. 

“We have suspended prior and final permissions for Libya on practical grounds, given the increasing number of reports of suffering by Nepalis there,” said Manohar Khanal, director of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).

Following a report about 108 workers encamped in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, following the collapse of their employer company, DoFE had been imposing restrictions on the granting of final and prior approval to manpower agencies for jobs in Libya.

“We had issued prior and final permissions for Libya to manpower agencies that had a good track record and signed agreements with employer companies to send workers there. However, we have suspended such permission for the time being, until we find out the exact reasons behind the suffering of Nepali workers,” said Khanal. From the second week of June, DoFE had been exercising a strict policy over Libyan jobs.

According to a DoFE source, it is mainly SOS Manpower Agency, Paradise International and Dhaulagiri Manpower Agency that have been sending workers to Libya.  SOS and Paradise International have supplied workers to Own Construction Company and Ramco Libya of General Contracting Company respectively.

SOS Manpower also recruited 870 Nepali workers at Own Construction Company. Paradise International received prior approval for 560 workers on different dates, and some 300  of these have already left for Libya.

A total of 108 Nepali workers, who were left in the lurch in Libya, were from Dhulagiri Manpower. Of those stranded workers, 61 have been repatriated to Nepal over two days through the involvement of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) after four and a half months of a hellish life in an encampment.

Som Lal Bataju, proprietor of SOS Manpower, said 88 workers were in the pipeline for Libya after getting prior approval from DoFE.

Bataju said all workers send by SOS Manpower have been on strike for a couple of days, stating that the employer company refused to provide their salary for two months.

“Workers weren´t paid on time due to closure of banks on the occasion of Ramadan-- the month-long Muslim festival. However, some workers returned to work from today (Saturday)after the company agreed to clear their  salaries by Sept 20,” Bataju said.

According to DoFE, a total of 1,622 Nepali workers had left for Libya during the year 2009/10.

Published on: 22 August 2010 | Republica