KATHMANDU, AUG 01 – The government has decided to make it mandatory for recruitment agencies and workers to present themselves at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) during signing of the labour contract.
The provision, which aims at curbing fraudulent activities involved in the recruitment process, is expected to come into effect within a few months.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) has decided to make the new provision applicable only for Oman in the initial phase. According to the MoLE officials, an internal meeting of the ministry presided by Labour and Employment Minister Tek Bahadur Gurung has also decided to gradually apply the provision for other labour destinations.
As per the decision, the two parties–client and the manpower agency– should compulsorily be present at the ‘contract division’ of the foreign employment department in order to sign the labour contract. DoFE will not issue labour permit to those recruiting agencies not complying the rule.
MoLE officials said the decision was taken despite opposition from the recruitment agencies to control wide-ranging anomalies involved in the recruitment process.