Govt to utilise Saudi amnesty

KATHMANDU, MAY 26:

The government has decided to take full benefit of the amnesty that Saudi Arabia has offered to illegal workers.

It has granted the right to issue foreign job permits to the Nepali embassy in Riyadh — a prerequisite to join a foreign job according to the foreign employment law of the country.

“The government has granted the right to issue foreign job permits to illegal workers who are successful in getting legal jobs to the Nepali embassy in Saudi Arabia,” said director general at the Department of Foreign Employment Binod KC. About 30,000 migrant workers are expected to take benefit of this decision. “The Cabinet decided to offer this facility on Thursday,” he said.

Saudi Arabia — a job destination of about 500,000 Nepali workers — announced an amnesty plan on February 25, and explained the modalities on May 15. According to the plan‚ illegal migrants can leave Saudi Arabia on exit-only visas without being penalised or can legalise themselves by joining legal jobs till July 9.

About one million undocumented or illegal workers are believed to be working in Saudi Arabia and nearly 70,000 of them are Nepalis.

The Nepali embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued out pass — exit visa — to over 20,000 migrant workers so far. The Saudi government has handed over about 13,000 passports to the Nepali embassy in Riyadh. The passports were collected from employers of runaway workers.

“The Nepali embassy in Riyadh has started issuing foreign job permits to illegal workers who want to legalise their stay,” said KC. According to

him, the embassy will grant

the right to Nepali workers who do not want to return and find legal jobs there. It will address the difficulties being faced by workers by using the amnesty offer, he added.

The Saudi government believes that the amnesty plan will help clear up the job market and also help the country promote local workers through Nitaqat — Saudisation of labour market — in private sector industries and enterprises. More than 500‚000 Saudis have received jobs following the introduction of the Nitaqat system last year.

Saudi Arabia had announced an amnesty for foreign workers in the past too. About 300‚000

illegal workers had benefitted from the amnesty announced

in 2011.

HRW against deportation

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the United Arab Emirates not to deport migrant building workers for staging a rare strike to demand better pay and conditions. The New York-based group is against the deportation orders on 43 migrants who joined a strike by workers at the Arabtec construction giant. The workers were demanding their 350 dirhams ($95) food allowance paid with their wages rather than the three daily meals provided by the company. Arabtec is part of a consortium that built Dubai’s landmark Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The rights-based organisation said UAE authorities reportedly deported 70 migrant workers after a similar strike by Arabtec labourers in January 2011.

Source: THT