Nepalese Ambassador Udaya Raj Pandey at the same time echoed the call of workers for employers to comply with the minimum wage system, refrain from harassment or physical abuse of domestic aides and offer better working conditions as stipulated in the labor laws and contracts.

Pandey said: “Employers and employees have a shared obligation to create respectful and courteous workplaces.”

The ambassador was speaking during a colorful function organized at the Nepalese Embassy to celebrate Dashain (Vijaya Dashami), a major Nepalese festival.

A large number of Nepalese expatriates attended the celebrations. Senior Nepalese officials and their spouses were present.

Referring to the need to streamline the manpower sector, Pandey said a positive workplace is characterized by respect of laws and ethics of work that support employee engagement and motivates everyone to do their very best.

Adequate protection for workers is essential for which the embassy will leave no stone unturned, said the envoy.

Despite the decline in the departure of Nepalese workers to other destinations, the number of those leaving for Saudi Arabia rose significantly in the first quarter of the current financial year compared to the same period last year, according to a report issued by Nepal’s Department of Foreign Employment.

The number of workers deployed in Saudi Arabia, home to about 700,000 Nepalese migrant workers, shot up by over 34 percent to 15,921 during the DoFE’s review period ending mid-October compared to 11,833 recorded last year, said the report.

The booming construction sector as well as agriculture farms are the major absorbers of Nepalese blue-collar workers in Saudi Arabia, it noted.