By IANS
Kathmandu : United Arab Emirates (UAE) Labour Minister Ali bin Abdullah al Ka'abi arrived here Monday to sign a pact with the Nepal government to help in improving the lot of Nepali blue collar workers working in the oil-rich Islamic country.
The UAE minister, who is here on a three-day visit, will sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his counterpart, Nepal's Minister Of State For Transport And Labour Ramesh Lekhak, Tuesday.
Lekhak had met Al Ka'abi in Geneva last month at the 96th International Labour Conference and invited him to visit Nepal.
The UAE minister had been reported as saying that there was a demand in the UAE for Nepali workers as guards and semi-skilled labourers.
On his arrival in Kathmandu Monday, the minister said Nepali workers should find a sector they were good at in order to penetrate it.
The signing of the agreement will enable Nepali workers to get the benefits of UAE laws.
Currently, many labourers are working below minimum wages and a large number have become illegal residents after trouble with their visas and work permits.
The UAE government last month announced that all foreigners residing illegally in the country would be given three months to regularise their status according to the law, or to leave the country without penalty.
It also asked the labour ministry to direct all companies to pay their staff through banks to ensure that there were no delays in payments.