IOM assisted the last of a group of 111 stranded Nepali migrant
workers to return home from Libya on Wednesday. Twenty-one of the
workers were repatriated to Kathmandu on 17 August with a second
group of 40 assisted to return the following day. The remaining 50
stranded migrants reached home on 25 August.

The return, which was facilitated by IOM at the request of the
Government of Nepal, marks the successful conclusion of complex
negotiations to help the workers to return home.

"On behalf of the Government of Nepal we appreciate the sincere
effort, coordination and negotiation made by IOM Tripoli and the
IOM Mission in Nepal in dealing with the salary issue, medical
assistance, visa waiver, travel arrangements and bringing back the
migrants to Nepal," stated the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of
Labour and Transport Management for the Government of Nepal. "We
convey our highest regards and appreciation to IOM Director
General, Mr. William Lacy Swing for the organization's commitment
on this particular issue," said Joint Secretary Mr. Bhattarai.

The group of 111 Nepalis were recruited by Dhaulagiri
International Manpower to work for the CKG company in Libya, in
November 2008. Earlier this year CKG closed, refusing to pay back
salaries and withholding the workers' passports. With no source of
income, the workers were soon living in conditions of misery.

The Nepali government then asked IOM to intervene with the
Libyan authorities and CKG to facilitate the return home of the
workers and payment of their wages. After meetings involving the
Government of Libya, the IOM mission in Tripoli, the Nepali Embassy
in Cairo and the company, the issue was successfully resolved.

The Organization for Development of Administrative Centres
(ODAC), a state entity which contracted with CKG, ultimately agreed
to pay for the workers owed wages and return tickets for 61 of the
111 stranded migrants.

Suresh Khadka, who arrived in the first group said, "Some of the
workers got paid for 3 to 5 months and some got paid just for few
days, I don't know on what basis we got paid but I am more than
happy to come to Nepal. I am indebted to IOM."

Compensation for the remaining 50 migrants fell under the
responsibility of the Gurkhas Construction company which was a
subcontractor to CKG. In spite of the fact that the workers had
paid around USD 2,500-3,500 to the company to go to Libya hoping
for better livelihood opportunities, Gurkhas Construction stopped
paying the workers some months after arrival.

Based on negotiations with IOM Tripoli, the ODAC agreed to
arrange for travel from Tripoli to Kathmandu for the remaining 50
workers, but without salary compensation.  The Government of
Nepal also provided financial assistance and allowances to the 50
migrants to reach to their home districts from the Nepali
capital.

Labour migration is an important source of income for many
Nepalese families with remittances accounting for some 23 per cent
of GNP. However, this incident highlights the need for strong
monitoring and regulating mechanisms regarding labour migration.
Some 1.4 million documented and an estimated 1.3 million
undocumented Nepalis live and work abroad, mainly in Malaysia, the
Gulf States, Korea and Japan. Approximately 900 Nepali youth
undertake overseas employment on a daily basis.

"Unfortunately, as long as a proper Labour Migration and
recruitment policy with a dedicated control mechanism is not
established and empowered, this kind of incident is expected to be
more frequent. IOM Tripoli is assisting the Libyan government and
migrants in order to reduce such a risk," says Laurence Hart, Chief
of Mission for IOM Tripoli.

For further information contact; please contact:

Michele Bombassei

E-mail: "mailto:mbombassei@iom.int">mbombassei@iom.int

IOM Tripoli

and

Pravina Gurung

IOM Nepal

E-mail: "mailto:pgurung@iom.int">pgurung@iom.int