January 22: Nepal and Israel have signed a protocol to send Nepali workers to Israel for work.
Director General of the Department of Foreign Employment Kumar Dahal and Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Hanan Goder signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries amid a recent function.
This has opened door for 500 Nepalis to work in the care-giving sector of Israel.
The Government of Nepal had signed a bilateral labor agreement with Israel for sending Nepali workers to Israel on September 30.
Nepal’s Ambassador to Israel Dr Anjan Shakya and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Askhenaji signed the agreement initially but the two countries were unable to implement it due to lack of protocol.
After a month of negotiations, the two countries prepared the protocol based on the agreement. The two countries have now signed the same protocol to implement the agreement.
The protocol mentions about issues like the process of sending workers to Israel, their qualification, perks and benefits in accordance to the labour agreement.
The protocol focuses on sending Nepali workers to the health sector of Israel and has specified food and accommodation for them.
Besides the health sector, the Nepali workers will also get opportunities to work in hotels and restaurants, agriculture sector, construction works among others.
Until now, Nepal's private manpower companies had been supplying Nepali workers to Israel for employment under a 2015 agreement. However, now according to the new agreement, the government itself will be sending workers to Israel for work on G2G basis while the manpower companies will have no role in it.
As per the new protocol, Nepali workers will have to bear the travel cost themselves. Nepali workers willing to go to Israel for work will also have to pay the visa fee, medical test fee as well as orientation charge and a certain amount to the welfare fund themselves, which is against the free-visa policy of the government.
But the laws of Israel is considered labour-friendly and Nepali workers are expected to have comparatively less problems while working there.
