Hom Karki

The Qatari government has issued a guideline asking the worker recruiting companies to strictly implement its Labour Act.

The act dictates that concerned employing companies should bear the expenses for visas, air tickets and all other procedures that migrant workers undergo before arriving in Qatar for employment.

The guideline issued by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy come amid global scale defamation the 2022 World Cup host is facing from various rights organisations for ‘mistreatment of migrant workers’ from the developing countries.

“If a complaint is lodged against a manpower company found to be charging the migrant workers for a visa and ticket, the concerned recruiting company is bound to refund the money,” the standards read. Although the Department of Foreign Employment in Nepal states that manpower companies should only charge Rs 20,000 to workers going to Qatar for employment, these companies are said to be demanding up to Rs 150,000 from one client.

Shikhar Baidya, a Nepali migrant worker in the Gulf emirate, accused the Nepal government of condoning the foreign recruitment agencies that are openly breaching the labour agreement.

Labour Attaché of the Nepali Embassy in Qatar Indradev Pandey said that complaints have been lodged in the embassy against the companies said to be overcharging the citizens arriving to Qatar for employment.

Published on: 19 February 2014 | The Kathmandu Post