Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today signed the long-awaited Labour Agreement that gives legal status to Nepali workers in the UAE.

Minister of State for Labour and Transport Management Ramesh Lekhak and visiting UAE Labour Minister Dr Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Kaabi signed the agreement at the Ministry of Labour.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Kaabi praised the contribution of Nepali workers in the development of his country and expressed confidence that the labour pact would ensure the basic rights of Nepali workers.

The labour pact is also believed to increase the minimum wage of Nepali workers in UAE. There are 150,000 Nepali working in UAE alone.

This is the first labour pact between Nepal and a Gulf state.

The UAE Labour Minister arrived in Kathmandu on Monday to sign the labour agreement.