After a two-day discussion, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today agreed to sign a revised labour agreement. The UAE receives thousands of Nepali migrant workers every year.

As per the new agreement, the UAE government has agreed to hire Nepali workers at zero cost. Moreover, employer companies will have to bear the recruitment service charges, two-way airfare, visa fee, health check-up fee and also the security screening and levy charges of Nepali migrants, among others.

The revised agreement also states that employer companies will have to pay the salaries of workers through the banking channel and the pay must be deposited by the 10th day of the month. The firms will also have to bear all expenses related to accommodation, health check-up and security, among others, during the contract period.

Ram Prasad Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, informed that a new mechanism called ‘wages protection system’ has been developed, which will be monitored through a joint mechanism that will be established after the pact is signed. “If the employer firms do not pay the wages by the 10th day of the month, the joint mechanism will take action against the erring firms,” he added.