Government decision to implement the zero recruitment cost for migrant workers to six Gulf countries and Malaysia received predictable reaction. Thousands of workers who have paid hefty fees, almost always acquired through loans with very high interest rates, welcomed the announcement. They have supported and urged the government, through various social media posts, to not bow to pressures against the new policy. The recruitment or manpower agencies on the other hand have been organizing their protests with list of demands. Although they say they are not against the zero cost, they demand the government precede this policy with a process.
There is no doubt about the reasons why recruitment agencies are not getting much of the public support. Nepali media, traditional and social alike, are abundant with stories of suffering of Nepali migrant workers, particularly in the Gulf countries and in Malaysia. In majority of the cases, the deception and the sufferings start at home at the hands of the agents and the manpower agencies - first by not providing correct information about the work itself and the working conditions; secondly, by forcing them into debt bondage through acquired loans with high interest. In the course of my work with migrant workers, I spoke with many young men and women. The stories and the patterns of deception that paved the way to their increased sufferings at destination countries are similar. Not getting the salary that was promised before they leave Nepal is so common; most workers do not even considered it as a major issue as long as they are paid.
Majority of these temporary migrant workers going for “unskilled” labor works do not have direct access to the foreign employers. This is where the role of the unregistered agents that scout for the workers in the districts and the villages and the manpower agencies comes in - the role both these parties have regularly exploited.
Yet, as the Labor Minister Tek Bahadur Gurung pointed out, not all recruitment agencies are bad. I also talked to those men and women who did have prior information about their work conditions, participated in the trainings and orientation before they left. I met women who migrated for domestic work through recruitment agencies which advised them to migrate via regular channel and depart from Kathmandu as opposed to the more risky routes through third countries. I have also met women who were able to migrate without incurring any expenses.
This is indeed how it should be like. Correct information about jobs, skills and advice for safer migration is what the prospective migrants need. And, no one should ever have to incur more than the required expenses to get the employment. Think about all those migrating for high skilled jobs – do they have to seek assistance of manpower agencies to get the job? Do they have to pay for their own tickets to fly to the country of their destinations? No. So, why should this be expected of the low-skilled workers?
Government is one of the major beneficiaries of the sweat and blood of the migrant workers, with a quarter of the GDP sustained by the remittance. Meanwhile, manpower agencies have become richer than ever. It is the responsibility of these beneficiaries to make sure that the workers get a fair deal.
I remember one of the migrant workers who recently returned from Malaysia after spending 8 months in the detention center. “All we want is that whatever the recruitment agencies tell us here, we get it there,” he told me. It should not be that hard. Hopefully, with the zero cost policy strictly implemented, Nepali recruitment companies will be forced to make an effort and only deal with direct employers that bear all expenses to procure workers and are accountable to the set terms and conditions. The no cost migration will put an end to the debt bondage and give workers more freedom to make decisions if the working conditions are not met. This can be the first step towards improving the labor standards for Nepali migrant workers, in Nepal and at destination countries.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.