Responding to increasing incidents of fraudulent activities by manpower agencies and rising incidents of cheating jobseekers, the government has made it mandatory for DoFE officials to consult with concerned Nepali embassies, consular offices, labor attaches, chamber of commerce and notary public of host countries to verify the authenticity of the demand letters sent by the employer companies. However, DoFE officials were found ignoring the provision while issuing permission to manpower agencies. [break]
Sending a strong objection letter to the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM), Nepali ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hamid Ansari asked the government to take stringent action against the officials involved in issuing granting permission to send 300 female workers to Saudi Arabia, where the cases of exploitation of Nepali female workers are higher than other destinations.
According to sources, Renuka Tamang of Bhojpur, who was promised a job of hospital cleaner, ended up working as a domestic help in Saudi city of Jeddah. Renuka fled from her employers and took refuge at the Nepali mission, after she couldn´t withstand the physical and mental torture.
The embassy has yet to give details about the condition of other remaining workers.
The government has restricted Nepali women to work in Saudi Arabia in informal sectors like domestic helps keeping in view the growing cases of exploitation at the hands of employers.
However, the government allows manpower agencies to send female workers to organized sectors like hotels and hospitals after ensuring safety and security of the workers in coordination with Nepali mission or labor attaches and other designated agencies.
According to a Foreign ministry source, the letter signed by Nepali envoy Hamid Ansari, stated that the workers, including Tamang, were promised jobs of hospital cleaner at Saudi Arabia´s Antab Est for Operation and Maintenance Company by Basundhara-based Job Track Recruiting.
DoFE had granted permission to the Nepali agency to send workers on September 2, 2009.
The Nepali mission in Saudi Arabia has also demanded the MoLTM to immediately provide 6,000 Riyal (3,500 Riyal for air ticket to Nepal and 2,500 Riyal as compensation) to send Tamang to Nepal.
prabhakar@myrepublica.com
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