I have absolutely no sympathy for their lot and have yet to meet anyone who will actually empathize with their plight. Manpower agencies typify a malaise in our modern society, the unethical accumulation of wealth with little regard for the consequences of their greed. They are by no means alone – bureaucrats, businessmen, professionals, lawmakers are all guilty of it but these agencies are in a different league when it comes to embodying this particularly avaricious strain of capitalism.So much so that the word manpower has evolved into a byword for exploitation and even the mere mention of it evokes distinctly negative connotations. They were out in force last week protesting the government's minimum cost (free visa and ticket) policy. It basically means that once the policy is in effect, the government will not allow workers to fly to six countries in the Middle East and Malaysia unless the employers are willing to bear the visa and ticket fees. It's quite evident that this will hurt their business and it's amazing how quickly they got off their bottoms and onto the streets when their profiteering interests were threatened.
I do not want to dwell on the cases of deception, false promises and outright exploitation that have already been well documented but rather on the myopic vision and opportunistic tendencies that have let this industry down. To begin with, the very nature of their work necessitated self-policing to weed out as they claim 'the rogue elements' that are blighting this industry. Yet they have done next to nothing to ensure transparency in their processes. They were so busy colluding with government officials and the police that the welfare of their customers (workers) came a distant second, if at all they even figured in their plans.
In any other industry, exploiting your own customers would probably put you out of business. NAFEA, which is the umbrella organization of these agencies, has done little in improving the ethical conduct and responsibility of its members. They should have cracked down on local brokers who act as intermediaries between the agencies and the workers charging exorbitant sums of money from the latter. These brokers are largely unregistered and do not come under the purview of any laws but instead of policing them they feigned helplessness and chose to persist with the status quo. No one wanted to upset the applecart when business was so good.
There were several areas crying out for attention, not least of which was long-term capacity building of their staff. This is not a problem that has just come out of the blue, and they should have devoted some serious thought and resources towards the problems highlighted in countless studies and exposés on their practices. A report from Amnesty International titled 'False Promises Exploitation and Forced Labor of Nepalis Migrant Workers' shows the ignorance of officials when it comes to knowledge of identity documents and employment papers. The report also touches on the perfunctory orientation (or the lack of it in many cases) given to the workers and issues relating to workers lack of awareness when it comes to the Welfare fund administered by the Foreign Employment Promotion Board.
The poor laborers often have no idea where they are going, and in many cases completely ignorant of the conditions in the destination countries. Their passports and other documents are confiscated even in countries that don't practice the 'kafala' system, and in many cases people have been sent to countries banned by the government of Nepal. This is human trafficking, whatever brush you choose to paint the issue with, and mostly it is these agencies that work hand in glove with the traffickers.
It says a lot that the prolonged absence of labor attachés in destination countries and the lethargic pace of many bilateral agreements failed to bring these manpower agencies out onto the streets. In hindsight they must be wishing that some of that blood money had actually gone into lobbying for change or to strengthen the oversight of their industry.
However, all of the blame cannot be squarely laid on their doorstep either. The different successive governments haven't exactly covered themselves in glory on this issue. Our workers have been getting a raw deal ever since the Treaty of Sugauli and they have survived in spite of the government and not because of it. There has to be some consideration of the consequences of taking a unilateral decision on a sector that the economy relies heavily on, not to mention it's knock on effects on other sectors that depend on it. You're welcome to impose your decision on the manpower agencies when you can offer the workers alternative livelihood options in Nepal but when you cannot provide your citizen's jobs and sustenance at home then it would be wise to engage in consultations.
The truth is that the efforts of the government so far have been pathetic for a sector that is responsible for propping up our sorry economy. Their remittances have done more for poverty alleviation (which incidentally is a much publicized government objective) than most government measures. The lack of a voice for these people coupled with the political flavor of most diplomatic appointments has resulted in their efforts being more of a paper exercise than a genuine reform of the ground realities. Even though the government has taken some measures like Operation De Pogo and The Labor Village concept, these have been few and far between. In many instances, the traumatized and battered workers who return home are left alone and most of them are not even aware of the complaints processes, let alone the employment tribunals.
I really hope – for the sake of the workers – that the government has done some diplomatic groundwork before this announcement because a free visa and ticket scheme won't see lift off without cooperation from the destination countries. If the scheme does take off then it would be a welcome change in this shambles of an industry. Even if the decision is repealed or altered, it will have at least served the purpose of sending a warning message to these agencies.
Something good is bound to come out of this unilateral decision and there is optimism that the workers will benefit in the end. At the very least, I hope it ensures that the current parasitic relationship between agency and worker is transformed into one that is mutually beneficial to both the parties.
gunjan.u@gmail.com
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