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The first two to three flights carrying Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia free of cost are expected to begin operating in December, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said today.
“December is the month of victory. We want to launch this initiative with the first two or three flights carrying workers free of cost in December. At the same time, the process of sending workers will continue based on other demand letters,” he said.
The minister made the remarks at an exchange of views meeting with representatives of recruiting agencies enlisted under the Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMS) for sending workers to Malaysia.
The meeting was held at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Eskaton, Dhaka.
Under the proposed system, Bangladeshi workers will be sent abroad without bearing any recruitment costs, as foreign employers or their recruiting agencies will cover the expenses. Some service charges for local recruiting agencies have also been waived to simplify the recruitment process, the minister said.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the process of sending workers to Malaysia should not remain limited to a handful of recruiting agencies. The ministry is working to ensure that all licensed recruiting agencies in the country get equal opportunities to participate, he added.
He expressed hope that a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysia would be signed by December 31.
To ensure transparency, demand letters from foreign employers must be submitted online and attested by the human resources ministry of the respective country, he said.
The concerned recruiting agency will also have to submit an undertaking to the ministry guaranteeing that workers will be provided with jobs by their employers.
The minister said the government planned to establish separate cells in destination countries to address workers’ problems after their deployment.
Initiatives are also being taken to ensure that Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and other countries receive necessary services and are not subjected to harassment, he added.
Regarding medical examination fees, the minister said the fee for workers going to Malaysia had been fixed at Tk 8,000, and no additional charges would be allowed.
Urging recruiting agency owners to improve the sector’s image, he said the industry must be brought to a dignified and respectable position. All stakeholders should remain vigilant to ensure that irregularities by a few individuals do not damage the reputation of the entire sector.
He also urged recruiting agencies to look beyond business interests and consider their role in creating overseas employment opportunities and boosting the country’s remittance earnings.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment State Minister Md Nurul Hoque and Gazipur-5 lawmaker AKM Fazlul Haque Milon, among others, attended the meeting.
