Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has expressed hope that the first flights carrying Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia at zero cost to the workers will begin in December.
“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,” the minister said.
He made the remarks at an exchange-of-views meeting with representatives of recruiting agencies enlisted under Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS). The meeting was held at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Eskaton, Dhaka.
Under the new arrangement, workers will go abroad without paying any money themselves. Foreign employers or their recruiting agencies will bear the full cost of sending the workers. Certain service charges previously levied by Bangladeshi recruiting agencies have also been waived to simplify the process.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury said he does not want the business of sending workers to Malaysia to remain limited to a handful of agencies. The ministry is working to ensure that all licensed recruiting agencies in the country get the opportunity to participate.
He expressed hope that a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed by 31 December. Demand letters from foreign employers must be submitted online to ensure transparency and will require attestation from the human resources ministry of the destination country. The concerned Bangladeshi recruiting agency will also have to submit an undertaking to the ministry guaranteeing that the workers will actually be provided with jobs by the employers.
The minister added that the government plans to set up separate cells in destination countries to help resolve workers’ problems after deployment. Steps are being taken so that Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and other countries receive necessary services and do not face harassment.
On medical examination fees, he said the fee for workers going to Malaysia has been fixed at Tk 8,000, and no additional amount may be charged.
Addressing the agency owners, the minister stressed that the sector must be restored to a dignified and respectable position. He urged everyone to remain vigilant so that irregularities by a few individuals do not tarnish the entire industry. Agencies, he said, should consider not only their business interests but also employment opportunities for Bangladeshis and the growth of remittances.
State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md. Nurul Hoque and Gazipur-5 lawmaker AKM Fazlul Haque Milon were among those who attended the meeting.