November 25: Manpower companies have requested help from parliamentary committee after the country’s diplomatic missions did not show any interest to attest work permit for large number of Nepali migrant workers as per the demand from labour destination countries.

They argued that the decision of Nepal’s embassies based in Gulf countries not to approve the demand for labour has risked losing job opportunities. The manpower companies on Tuesday (November 24) urged the Industry, Labour and Consumer Welfare Committee of the House of Representative to take initiative to resolve this issue.

The manpower companies say that there is demand for more than 100,000 workers in Gulf countries but the diplomatic missions of Nepal in those countries have denied permission for work citing coronavirus pandemic. Representatives of the companies said during a meeting organized by the house panel that the country risks loosing hundreds of thousands of job opportunities due to the lacklusture approach of Nepal’s embassies.

According to them, the demand for labour from countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai among other Gulf countries have not been approved by the respective embassies of Nepal in those countries.

General Secretary of Nepal Foreign Employment Agencies Association Sujit Kumar Shrestha warned that if the embassies do not approve the demand for labour then there is high possibility that the opportunities will be given to other countries.

The Gulf countries have placed huge demand for workers in the service sector, hospitals, hotel industry, super stores and construction projects. However, the labourers have been forced to travel to the Gulf countries in visit visas after the embassies did not approve the demand for labour.

Chairman of the Foreign Employment Association (Democratic) Narendra Prasad Dhakal says that youths are forced to travel to Gulf countries for work on visit visas although it is illegal because they have no other option at the moment.

He claimed that around 500 to 700 Nepalis leave for Gulf countries on visit visas everyday and there is a lot of under-table dealings going on at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers had lifted a ban on foreign employment on August 30 but the migrant workers are struggling to return to work because of the stance taken by Nepal’s embassies.