The Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) has invited applications from government registered manpower agencies within next two weeks to select and honor the best sending agency. The Foreign Employment Act 2007 allows the government to honor best performing agency with a letter of appreciation. [break]
"We have initiated the process of rewarding the best manpower agency from this year to encourage good practice in the foreign employment sector which has been marred by different malpractices," Sthaneshwor Devkota, executive director of FEPB, told myrepublica.com.
He further added that FEPB would recommend the name of the deserving manpower agency for the award.
As per the existing provision, the best manpower agency will be announced based on positive track record in terms of complaints and settlement of complaints; and allocation of quotas to women, Dalits, indigenous, ethnic, suppressed groups and people from backward as well as remote regions for foreign employment.
Similarly, the number of workers sent, contribution to national revenue, network in all development regions, number of workers sent at minimum charge, number of workers getting opportunities for foreign employment in decent working environment with higher remuneration and financial position of the company are the other criteria set by the government.
Interested manpower agencies have to fill the forms with required applications and submit it to FEPB to participate in the award.
Hailing the decision, manpower agencies said the reward system would help promote good practices in the foreign employment sector that is often held accountable for problems that the Nepali workers are facing in overseas job destinations.
“We had long been demanding the government to reward agencies promoting good practices and punish those involved in fraudulent activities. Honoring deserving agencies is a good initiative,” said Gyan Prasad Gaire, vice-president of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), an umbrella organization of Nepali manpower agencies.
´Black Day´ commemorated
Nepali manpower agencies Wednesday took out a rally in the capital commemorating September 1 as the ´black day´ for foreign employment sector. Six years ago on this very day, angry mobs had launched a series of attack on manpower agencies and media houses, protesting the killing of 12 Nepalis in war-ravaged Iraq.
Participants of rally demanded security for the foreign employment industry and compensation for the damage of more than Rs 500 million incurred during the attack in 2004. Though the government had formed three different commissions to look into the attack, none of them has made public their reports.
“The government is yet to compensate companies that were damaged six years ago. We strongly demand the government to provide due compensation to the companies that suffered from the attack. We also request the government to make public the reports of the commissions," said Hansa Raj Wagle, first vice-president of NAFEA.
After the incident, the government had imposed ban on sending workers to Iraq. The ban was lifted a few days ago to pave the way for Nepali youths to secure lucrative jobs in Iraq.
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