Nepal signs labour agreement with two new European countries

Nepal recently signed labour agreements with Romania and Germany in pursuit of adding new labour destinations for Nepali migrant workers.

In a historic move, Nepal and Romania agreed on labour cooperation in 55 years of their bilateral relations on October 6.

Nepal’s Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari and his Romanian counterpart Simona Bucura-Oprescu (from the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity) signed the bilateral labour agreement.

A press release issued by Nepal’s Labour Ministry following the agreement said that both countries hope to improve understanding in the labour sector by recognising Romania as a safe and appealing labour destination.

The delegations from both countries agreed on establishing a Romanian embassy in Nepal to help with validating the demand for migrant workers, issuing (entry) visas, and facilitating the process for labour approval.

This collaboration targets identifying skilled labour markets, particularly for women workers, preventing dual contracts and addressing language skill gaps.

Both countries also emphasised on the importance of effectively implementing the bilateral labour agreement and ensuring social security benefits for Nepali workers in Romania.

On a similar note, a Joint Declaration of Intent was signed between Nepal and Germany on October 10 at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany in Berlin regarding fair and legal skilled labour immigration and knowledge exchange.

Similarly, Nepal’s Ambassador to Germany Ram Kaji Khadka and German Federal Employment Agency’s Director for International Affairs Michael van der Cammen signed a bilateral labour agreement. 

The agreement was signed in the presence of Minister Bhandari and Leonie Gebers, Germany’s Deputy Minister of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Both the delegations exchanged views on Nepal-Germany bilateral relations, skilled labour migration, Nepal’s commitment to legal migration, workers’ welfare and social security, German language and vocational training, and circular migration.

Leonie Gebers, the press release reads, expressed her belief that the signing of the joint declaration will pave the way forward for the institutional arrangements for the immigration of Nepalese skilled workers according to the needs of the German job market. 

Earlier on October 9, the Nepali delegation also met the Director of the International Labour Organisation, Dr. Annette Niederfranke, and held discussions about the rights and interests of workers, measures against exploitation and trafficking of workers, inclusive foreign employment, reintegration of migrant workers and other labour-related issues.