The training institute posted a notice of suspension after foreign employment agents went to surround the training provider, saying they were trying to 'establish a monopoly and extort money from workers by selling certificates in the name of skill testing.'
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Saudi Arabia has postponed the mandatory skills testing program that was scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Industrial Training Institute Nepal Pvt. Ltd., which was set up to run the Skills Testing Program (SVP) in Basundhara, Kathmandu, has announced that it has been postponed.
The training institute has posted a notice of postponement after foreign employment agents went to the training provider organization to lay siege to it, saying that they were trying to 'establish a monopoly and extort money from workers by selling certificates in the name of skill testing.' However, the Saudi embassy has not issued any official notice in this regard. Workers will have to pay an additional fee of Rs 15,000 for this skill test. There is $50 for the exam fee and $50 for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
The Saudi embassy in Kathmandu had posted a notice stating that it had started the skills testing program. The embassy has said that a work visa will not be issued if a certificate of passing the skill test is not submitted.
It was decided to hold an inauguration program on Wednesday at the institution that was supposed to implement the SVP. After more than 200 foreign employment entrepreneurs arrived and protested, the diplomatic staff of the embassy returned without participating in the inauguration. The entrepreneurs had thrown down a board with the words ‘Skill Certification Program’.
Hari Bahadur Pandey, president of the Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs’ Unity Society, said that the government should formally write a letter regarding this program. Saudi Arabia has not made the names and list of organizations conducting such skill testing public. The entrepreneurs have said that they will not allow the skill testing program, which is being conducted unilaterally without coordination and cooperation with Nepal, contrary to the labor agreement.
Currently, there are 5 occupations for skill testing: loading and unloading goods, porters, cart drivers, and construction workers. It has not been clearly stated what kind of workers will work in the construction sector.
The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has not made a formal statement on the program. Ministry officials have stated that internal discussions are underway on the matter.
The labor agreement signed between Nepal and Saudi Arabia in December last year states that a joint technical working committee will decide on issues related to the recruitment process of Nepali workers. However, there is no bilateral agreement between Nepal and Saudi Arabia on implementing the skill certification program.
