Foreign workers employed under Employment Permit System (EPS) can change their works, if they are not satisfied in their current job, the Korea Times reported. “It will avoid harassment from employers to E-9 work visa.” Likewise, South Korean government reduced job interval time for foreign workers from six months to three months. According to the new plan, Employment Permit System workers, who completed three-year job tenure can join new jobs in South Korea after three months of return to home country or third country. South Korean government is implementing the changes in labour law from July. Six-month time has given to law enforcement agencies for administrative arrangements, the newspaper reported.

 

Above 10,000 Nepalis are working in South Korea under Employment Permit System and they have E-9 work visa. South Korea had started to hire Nepali workers in manufacturing, fisheries and agriculture since August 2008. Earlier, Nepalis working in fisheries and agriculture used to become illegal as South Korean labour laws did not allow changing their jobs. Nepalis not familiar with sea-fishing used to leave their job, therefore fisheries sector has withdrawn from recruiting list in 2010.

 

Last year, Employment Permit System has conducted Test of Proficiency in Korean only for manufacturing sector but agriculture sector has been added in June as the quota grew from 7,100 to a double of 15, 298. South Korea is hiring about 2,200 Nepalis in agriculture sector in 2012.

 

Nepalis working in South Korea are earning about $1,000 (Rs 84,000) with lowest job cost around Rs 100,000 including passport, language tuition, air fare and service fees. Service fee for major job markets – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar charge Rs 70,000 service fee and for it is Rs 80,000.

 

Fraud investigating mechanism

Ministry of Labour and Transport Management has formed a fraud investigation mechanism to handle increasing numbers of foreign employment related frauds in the Department of Foreign Employment. According to the department, a committee of officials from the department, outsourcing agency’s associations and women migrant worker’s association has been included in the mechanism that will investigate the complaints and forward them to Foreign Employment Tribunal. “The committee will handle complaints and decide whether to forward them to tribunal or not,” said director Kashiraj Dhahl. Above 70 per cent of complaints filed in the department do not have sufficient evidence to forward them to the tribunal. The department had received 1,200 such complaints last year.