Presenting its 35-point recommendations, the panel also asked the government to prepare a list of foreign employers, including the blacklisted ones, with the help of recruiting agencies. [break]
The committee prepared the recommendations following a visit to the Philippines - a major labor sending countries - from March 22 to 25. The team led by Tirtha Khaniya, member of National Planning Commission (NPC), prepared the report suggesting the government to adopt different measures to systematize the foreign employment sector.
Sarat Das, country chief of International Organization of Migration who was also in the team, presented the recommendations before the officials of different lines ministers amid a program on Sunday.
Orientation for Nepali workers by Nepali missions before they embark on foreign jobs, construction of safe houses in major destinations, provision for counseling and guidance for the workers by the missions, review of minimum wages for the workers on par with other labor sending countries and enhancing negotiation skills of Nepali labor attaches and mission officials to deal with labor issues with receiving countries are other recommendations included in the report.
To safeguard the interest of the workers, the panel has also suggested reviewing and improving current licensing guidelines for recruiting agencies.
"The government should encourage recruiting agencies to go with ´No Fee Recruitment System´ under which recruiting agencies collect service charge from employers instead of jobseekers," Das said.
The report will be formally submitted to National Planning Commission for implementation.
"We will recommend the government necessary measures after studying and adding necessary inputs on the recommendations," Ganesh Gurung, member of NPC, told myrepublica.com.
He also said diplomatic relation and labor relation should be the twin pillars of the nation´s foreign policy to ensure more employment opportunities in foreign destinations.
The panel has also suggested the government to review Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines on recruiting agencies, provide incentives to best performing recruiting agencies and employers, concentrate on development of foreign employment skills and adopt decentralization approach to impart training for foreign employment.
It also suggested the government to do the needful in making the Foreign Employment Promotion Board more active in exploring new labor destinations and promoting overseas employment opportunities.
Improvement in current insurance scheme for overseas workers, formulation and implementation of Financial Literacy of Nepali migrant workers and their family members and design of specials scheme for remittance through formal channel with the leadership of Nepal Rastra Bank are the other recommendations made by the team.
It also suggested the government to introduce budgetary provision for promotion of Nepali workers in international labor market in the upcoming three-year interim plan, formulation of Migration Policy in favor of migrant workers and formation of a coordination committee to recommend measures to address the issues related to Nepali overseas workers.
The team that also had representatives from different line ministries had visited different agencies associated with foreign employment in the Philippines to assess the overall migration management there.
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