Shamsul Huq Zahid
That a delegation of the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM) has assured the association of manpower recruiters in Bangladesh of recruiting an unspecified number of workers, including house maids, from Bangladesh is a piece of good news.
Good news because the recruitment, if and when takes place, would end an unofficial embargo that Saudi government did, according to media reports, impose on hiring manpower from Bangladesh and help fill in the void created by the loss of jobs by a large number of Bangladeshi workers in the troubled Libya and some other Gulf states.
The delegation during a meeting last Monday assured the executive committee of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting
Agencies (BAIRA) of recruiting four categories of workers -- female domestic workers, drivers, security guards and gardeners -- from Bangladesh. A joint committee comprising SANARCOM and BAIRA representatives has also been formed to work on the process of recruitment and other relevant issues. The committee members have also agreed on the salary and other benefits that the different categories of workers would be receiving.
Going by the wages received by the workers who have gone to different Middle-eastern countries through private recruiting agencies and other arrangements, the salary and benefits offered by the SANARCOM are more or less attractive.
The SANARCOM chairman, who is heading the delegation, is aware of the problems the poor Bangladeshi workers face very often while taking up jobs in others countries. He particularly mentioned about the high migration cost and highhandedness of private recruiting agencies and middlemen and said high migration cost forces the workers to be involved in some criminal activities and overstay in the countries of their employment in an attempt to recover the excess money they have paid to the recruiting agencies. The Saudi agency suggested a maximum of US$ 800 as migration cost for each house workers. The female workers would not be required to bear any such cost.
The delegation has attached a few conditions to the recruitment of Bangladesh workers. It said the BAIRA would have to impart necessary training on language to the selected workers, familiarize them with regulations and social and security aspects of Saudi Arabia and issuance of certificates on completion of training. The delegation has also warned the BAIRA against keeping the recruitment confined to a handful of private recruiting agents. The BAIRA has accepted all the SANARCOM conditions.
The decision of the Saudi government to resume recruitment of workers from Bangladesh means a lot not only to the job aspirants but also to the latter's economy.
The balance of payments (BoP) is already under stress because of rising imports and expected downtrend of remittance inflow. The inflow of remittance picked up in the last month, primarily due to the troubles in a number of countries in the Middle East. But the flow might decline again in the coming months.
So, full adherence to the agreement reached between the SANARCOM and the BAIRA would be crucial in the matters of regaining the manpower market on a sustained basis in Saudi Arabia, the country that employs the largest number (2.5 million) of Bangladeshi workers.
The past record of BAIRA and its members, as far as keeping commitments is concerned, is not that bright. How some private recruiters had fouled up the recruitment of Bangladesh workers by Malaysia in the recent past is well known. The Malaysian authorities, who had withdrawn the freeze on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh after several years, stopped the recruitment following widespread allegations of malpractice by some private recruiters.
The BAIRA would have to be extremely serious about the selection of relatively honest and efficient members who would shoulder the responsibility of sending workers in accordance with SANARCOM conditions.
Considering the importance of manpower market in Saudi Arabia, the incumbent government has made lots of efforts to convince the government of that country about the resumption of recruitment of Bangladesh workers. When the Saudi government has decided to soften its stance and resume recruitment, the Bangladesh government on its part should do its utmost to ensure that nothing goes wrong. The ministry of manpower should meet the BAIRA leaders from time to time and review the progress in meeting the SANARCOM conditions.
Though recruitment through the involvement of the official agencies of the employing countries does ensure better safety and security for the foreign workers, the Bangladesh government and the BAIRA should request the SANARCOM to see to that the workers, particularly the female ones, get fair and humane treatment from their employers. The incidents of maltreatment by the employers in the ME countries are too many in number.
The SANARCOM-BAIRA deal, expected to be inked soon, might open up employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia for people of other vocations in the future. The SANARCOM chairman also has indicated so. However, much would depend on the government, the BAIRA and the migrant workers.
Change of mind at most appropriate moment
Shamsul Huq Zahid | Published: April 06, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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