KATHMANDU: Nepal government has signed an agreement with eight labor destination countries even as it issues work permit to Nepali out migrant workers for as many as 110 countries.

It is supplying youths to 102 countries without signing labor agreement.

Signing labor pact is a must for ensuring labor rights, including insurance and social security of the Nepali migrant workers.

Nepal has signed a dual labor pact with a total eight countries including Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, South Korea, Japan, Israel and Malaysia in the past 14 years, according to the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security. The first labor agreement was signed with Qatar in 2005.

“From now on, Nepal government is planning to supply Nepali workers to destination countries only after signing or renewing the pact,” said Dr. Ram Prasad Ghimire, joint secretary and chief at the Department of Foreign Employment.

Ghimire further said the government has formed a five-member panel to this effect and is making preparations to sign or renew labor pact with the labor destinations in line with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Nepal Labor Law Act, 2017.

He further said, “Free visa and free ticket should be prioritized while renewing and signing the labor agreement.”

Similarly, the ministry is also serious about expenses incurred in supplying migrant workers, their security, pay perks and health facilities, he added.

Some countries are shying away from signing a labor pact with Nepal citing that Nepali workers lack required skills and qualification, according to a source at the department.

While Nepal had signed the first labor deal with Qatar, the latest deal was sealed with Malaysia on October 29, 2018. Similarly, Nepal government had signed agreement with South Korea and the UAE in 2007.

Similarly, Nepal government signed labor agreement with Bahrain and Japan in 2008, with Israel in 2015, with Jordan in 2017 and with Malaysia in 2018.

Despite having signed the labor agreement with three countries – Japan, Israel and Malaysia – Nepal has not yet supplied Nepali workers to these countries in line with the pact.

Malaysia has stopped receiving Nepali workers for the past nine months. The agreement needs to be renewed within three to five years as per the labor agreement.

The process of renewing labor agreement with Qatar, Japan and the UAE has reached the final phase, according to the ministry.

Nepal government has called on all the employment providing countries to sign and renew the labor agreement stating that that would supply Nepali workers to destination countries only after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Jordan are the major labor destinations, absorbing around 80 percent of the Nepali migrant workers as per the statistics maintained by the ministry.