Kathmandu, October 8
Nepal is preparing to sign a labour agreement with Jordan next week without fixing workers’ salary and stakeholders have warned that such agreement might put the labourers into exploitative situations.
Minister for Labour and Employment Farmullah Mansur is waiting for the confirmation of agreement date to visit Amman leading the Nepali delegation.
The draft agreement reads that the Jordan government will fix the remuneration of workers.
As Jordan is known to pay lower wages, experts and labour right activists have said Nepalis going to the Arab country might get exploited.
The Ministry’s Under-Secretary Shivaram Pokharel, however, says the agreement will ensure rights for the workers.
“Jordan has been working with the International Labour Organisation. Hence, it easily accepted Nepal’s proposal about benefits of the workers.”
It has been a major work destination for Nepali women. Carpet industries of the country have a high demand for Nepali workers. After the labour agreement, Nepalis can also get permit to work as domestic workers.
It will be the first labour agreement that Nepal is signing since it had signed a similar pact with Qatar in 2005. The government, however, seems reluctant to establish similar agreements with other major employment destinations.
