The concerned authorities are currently holding internal consultation over the issues to be incorporated in the draft.

“We are planning to incorporate some new issues in the old drafts and hope to dispatch them as soon as possible,” said Buddhi Bahadur Khadka, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

MoLE officials said the draft for domestic workers will incorporate provision used in the draft dispatched to Saudi Arabia recently.

MoLE officials said the proposed drafts envision various “internationally accepted” provisions ranging from minimum wage scale, maximum work hours, gratuity, leave, food, accommodation and health service.

Concerned stakeholders have been insisting the government to press the labour receiving countries to accept its minimum wage scale, instead of making separate provisions.

Nepal has not signed labour agreements with Malaysia and Kuwait, unlike with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Korea. The absence of labour pact has exposed over half a million Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia and Kuwait to a wide range of exploitation and abuses.

Government officials said they are planning to sign a separate labour pact for women with Kuwait, which is the most popular work destination for Nepali women.

The officials, however, are not sure how the Malaysian authorities will respond on the subject of signing a labour pact, given their lack of response to an earlier draft sent last year.