Minister Bhandari insists on dignified labour and migration

Patan (Lalitpur), June 26: Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari has said that our workers working in various countries must be respected. 

Inaugurating the 'Hami App Launching and Immigration Conference' organized by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) here today, he stated that our workers have contributed to the development of the destination countries through their hard work and emphasized the importance of dignified labour and safe migration.

"The workers from our country are contributing to the economic development of the destination countries and their labor must be respected. In foreign employment, 14,000 Nepalis have so far lost their lives in the last 16 years. They go to work, not to lose their lives. There has not been adequate health screening for those going for foreign employment, which also needs to be addressed,” he emphasized.

Stating that at the Labour Conference in Geneva, he had spoken of the need to move forward by embracing Korea's experience from the 1960s, Minister Bhandari stressed on learning from the Korean experience and adopting exemplary actions accordingly in the labour sector.

He said the government has implemented the 'Shram Sansar' online platform to provide right information regarding labour and that after 10 years, the situation of Nepali's compulsion of going abroad for employment would come to an end.

Stating that Nepalis consider Korea as an attractive labour destination, he stressed on the need of managing it and making it dignified.

"The 'Hami App' is an important tool for protecting the rights of Nepali workers and it helps in systematizing the migration process. The government is committed to developing policies that ensure safe migration and successful reintegration," the Minister said.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal, Park Tae-young, said that this year marks the 51st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Korea, and this joint programme is a symbol of cooperation in people-to-people relations between the two countries.

"The 'Hami App', which supports the entire journey of migrant workers, is a symbol of partnership between Korea and Nepal. We expect continuous cooperation and partnership in the field of labor migration," said Ambassador Park Tae-young on the occasion.

The 'Hami App' project is said to be part of the ' Phased Strengthening of the Support System for the Stable Reintegration of Migrant Workers Returning to Nepal' project launched by KOICA in 2022.

Through the 'Hami App', the Nepali workers going to Korea for work through the Employment Permit System are provided with information on various topics such as perspective building, financial literacy, and life safety training during the pre-migration phase, access to necessary information and resources during the migration phase, as well as available skill and entrepreneurship training on weekends while in Korea, as well as information on reintegration after migration, entrepreneurship training, and details on seed capital support for starting a new business when they return to Nepal.

This app is said to be established as a sustainable model for the strengthening of workers' rights. (RSS)