IPOH: The Human Resources Minister has called on the government of Nepal to go easy on the barring of its workers from coming to Malaysia.

M. Kulasegaran said that many industries here are dependent on foreign workers.

''We will try to find other mechanisms for their workers to come here. Otherwise there will be a severe shortage of workers in our country, leading to setbacks in progress.

''Nepalese workers are well-known for their bravery and honesty, and many Malaysian employers prefer to hire them.

''We hope that in the meantime, Nepal will go easy on the matter and reconsider (their decision),'' he told the press, after closing the national-level Workplace Accident Free Week at the Malay-Sino Chemical Industries Sdn Bhd here Saturday (July 28).

It was reported in The Star today that the government of Nepal has barred its workers from coming to Malaysia with immediate effect because it was unhappy with “restrictive” Malaysian immigration requirements for its workers before they can be employed.

This includes going through a private company "monopoly" for security and medical check-ups as part of the visa requirement.

Kulasegaran said that he was aware of the problems in hiring foreign workers involving a third-party company and the high charges imposed.

''All these (problems) were approved during the previous (Barisan Nasional) government and we are looking into how to overcome this.

''In fact, the Cabinet had discussed this matter earlier and I will prepare a paper in the coming week to call for immediate action,'' he said.

Kulasegaran also noted the Government has been engaging Nepalese government officials in the last two weeks to resolve the matter.

''I will contact the (Nepalese) High Commissioner on Monday,'' he said, adding that the Government would restore the system of hiring foreign workers back to the G2G (government-to-government) approach without any middlemen.