Saturday 20th April 2024
Landing another milestone deal, Nepal signed a labor pact with Mauritius to facilitate the flow of Nepali migrant workers to the island country on June 11, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Nepal Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) Gokarna Bista and Mauritius Minister for Labor, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training Soodesh Satkam Callichurn signed the pact on the sidelines of the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) 100th anniversary.
As per the labor agreement, Nepali migrant laborers in Mauritius will be employed in the hospitality, hotel and manufacturing sectors.
Recruited persons will get a minimum wage equal to that of Mauritians, which is about USD 240. No worker will be discriminated based on wages, compensation, work environment, overtime and access to justice.
Furthermore, Mauritius employers will incur all the travel and other costs of Nepali workers under ‘Employer Pays Principle’. This includes fees to recruitment agencies, travel expenses, work permits, insurance fees, medical expenses and other expenses incurred during the recruitment process.
Likewise, the employer will also bear expenses in the event of death and repatriation of the body & last rites involved, with the consent of deceased persons’ families.
The MoU also states that workers have the right to judicial remedy at ‘no cost’, along with allowing them to apply for visa and get temporary employment even when a case is sub judice – under judicial consideration but prohibited from public discussion.
“Through the MoU, both countries have expressed their commitment to control and regulate the practice of charging workers unnecessary fees while going for employment,” said Ram Prasad Ghimire, a MoLESS Joint Secretary, accompanying Minister Bista to Geneva.
Other provisions of the Nepal-Mauritius labor pact include leave for workers in the event of family members’ death, emergency insurance coverage, medical treatment in accordance with Mauritius laws, one month gratuity for each year of employment and employment certificate on return to Nepal after completion of work experience.
The labor pact is Nepal Government’s effort to expand the number of job destinations for Nepalis seeking foreign employment.
According to the Nepal Foreign Employment Department’s data, a total of 219 Nepali foreign workers acquired work permits for employment in Mauritius in FY 2017-18.
Nepal has signed labor pacts with more than 140 countries including Malaysia, Japan, Qatar, UAE and Jordan among others.
