HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Lack of Monitoring Mechanism
Manpower agencies forge, cheat: Report

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Oct. 10: In an absence of strict implementation of existing laws and regulations the foreign employment sector is becoming more risky, unreliable and even chaotic.

There are numerous cases of forgeries and cheating by the manpower agencies and deaths of Nepalese working abroad due to the utter negligence of foreign employment agencies and the concerned authorities.

The Report of the Auditor General’s Department (AGD) 2001 has recorded 477 cases of complaints and others by the year 2056/57, which include deaths in foreign land (6), swindling by the manpower agencies (19), stranded in foreign land after the sponsor or employer failed to receive the worker (33), perks and facilities lower than what was agreed before (22), arrested by police or the immigration office (6). There are also three cases of cheating by brokers who had promised individuals that saying that they would send them to America.

The recent reports of the Auditor General's Department (AGD) stated that the many manpower agencies have failed to comply with the Foreign Employment Regulations and the National Labour Policy formulated to systematise and extend the foreign employment services. Likewise the government, too, has failed to monitor and check the irregularities that have arisen in this sector, it said.

For example, according to Clause 15 of the Foreign Employment Regulation, the manpower companies must inform the government about the conditions of the employees it has sent outside. "But the government has not been doing any follow ups," stated the report.

But, according to the Foreign Employment Promotion Department (FEPD), the government inquires about such information only at the time of renewing the licenses of the companies, that too, if it considers necessary.

The license of the company is automatically cancelled if they fail to send at least 50 employees abroad annually.

In the fiscal year 2056/57, 22 out of 131 agencies could not send even a single person abroad for employment, it said. Likewise, there were 15 agencies that dispatched only 354 workers and failed to meet the requirement.

But the irony is that when such companies fail to fulfil the condition for renewal, the government allows them to retain the licenses.

According to the report, the Council of Ministers in October/November last year had decided to renew the licenses of 15 agencies for 2000/2001 that failed to meet the conditions.

The AGD report starkly pointed to the government’s failure to fulfill its commitments and programmes that were introduced to boost foreign employment in a bid to alleviate the poverty and make its contribution in the national income of the country.

For example, the budget statement three years ago had said that it would work towards creating foreign employment opportunities for 200 persons from every constituency in the East Asian, South East Asian and the Gulf countries. The budget had even said that the government would provide loan to them.

But this decision has not yet been implemented due to technical and financial problems.

"The government could not develop the mechanisms to implement this programmes," said Basant Sharma, an official at the Department under the Labour and Transportation Ministry.

He said that the Ministry has not reached to a conclusion on how to operate such a programme.

"The main question remains who should fund the programme - the government or the privates sector?" he asked.

Sharma pointed out that if the government were to finance the programme, it would be a problem to recoup the loan.

Likewise, the government also faces the obstacle of selecting the appropriate persons, he said and added, "Setting the selection criteria would also be difficult."

The Department has not yet set up Foreign Employment Bank to deposit at least 10 per cent of total income of the workers for their dependents, as mentioned in the Regulation.

The government had announced to conduct special programme and to recruit a labour attaché for the security and welfare of those working abroad but this is yet to be done, stated the report.

The AGD said that the Department did not provide information regarding this matter.

Meanwhile, the AGD report has mentioned that 52,161 Nepalese have gone outside for employment till the end of 2056/57, but the government does not have any record of those going abroad without the permission of the Department or through agencies which are not registered with the Department.

In this aspect, Sharma accepted that they lacked the record of those who had gone without providing their details to the Department. But he said that it was not possible for the Department to keep such records.

Meanwhile, the Report also highlights that the foreign employment has only a nominal contribution in the total employment of the country.

From 2054/055 to 2056/57 foreign employment contributed only 1.14 per cent, 2.65 per cent and 3.38 per cent respectively in total employment sector of the country. Those, who seek employment in foreign countries also include those who were semi-employed or fully employed in the country, thereby further reducing the contribution of foreign employment.

The AGD report also includes a number of suggestions for the government such as strict implementation of law, keeping records for the demand and supply of the foreign employment, strong monitoring and evaluation, training programme for the employees if the foreign employment programme is to make productive to the individual, society and to the national economy.

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