A majority of the surveyed Bangladeshi migrant workers experience a recruitment system of severe problems due to large dependency on sub-agents that creates potential for abuse, according to a latest ITUC report.
Many of them do not get pre-departure orientation that leads to numerous problems in their destination countries thus pushing them into the risk of becoming victims of human trafficking due to their limited knowledge and lack of information regarding the recruitment and migration process.
According to the report, they face numerous challenges and difficulties, including additional cost of labour migration, exploitation, abuse, and poor working conditions while they often work in low-wage jobs with long hours and minimal legal protections and many are subjected to discrimination and harassment.
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) published the report titled 'Survey analysis: Monitoring Recruitment of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers' on Saturday.
The report provided information regarding employment and recruitment agencies based on reviews submitted to the Recruitment Advisor by 835 Bangladeshi workers who have used the agencies to get jobs abroad.
Based on the reviews, the report showed some 78 per cent of respondents relied on sub-agents to act as an intermediary with a recruitment agency which creates potential for abuse.
Migrant workers are required to pay expensive recruitment fees and other expenses as according to the survey, 732 workers said they had to pay recruitment fees and related costs, although this differs for those hired as domestic workers.
Bangladesh being one of South Asia's major countries of origin sends more than 0.67 million migrant workers annually to the Gulf, Arab states and Malaysia. Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Malaysia are the major destination countries for Bangladeshi workers.
Despite the Bangladesh government's attempts to regulate the recruitment process to make it fairer, many of the basic problems have yet to be resolved.
An important part in facilitating the hiring of Bangladeshi workers for employment abroad is supposed to be played by recruiting agencies in Bangladesh.
These organisations function as intermediaries for foreign employers and Bangladeshi job seekers, offering a range of services like hiring, placement, processing visas, and pre- departure training to the workers.
However, both workers and recruitment companies are reliant on sub-agents or brokers who act as intermediaries in the recruitment process.
It also showed that 61 per cent received no pre-departure orientation that led to numerous problems in their destination countries.
Some 822 workers out of 835 had their passports kept by their employers.
An employer may hold workers identity documents for safekeeping, but migrant workers could be coerced through such an action, it noted.
Some workers were misled about the employment that awaited them with 12 per cent not even receiving the job or the salary to which they had agreed, it added.
Only 12 per cent were given information about joining a trade union, it showed adding the remaining 88 per cent were either unaware of this right, had no access to a trade union or was actively stopped from organising.
ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle in a statement said "We are well aware of
the daily exploitation faced by many migrant workers, but still these findings are shocking."
"Governments must provide adequate protection and support to migrant workers. This means access to legal support, protection from exploitation and access to basic social protection, health care and education," he added.
It makes sense for governments to act because safe migration can promote economic growth, reduce poverty and enhance social and cultural diversity for both the country of origin and the destination, he noted.
The report suggested a coordinated and collaborative effort from governments, civil society organisations, and the private sector to ensure that migration is safe and orderly and contributes to sustainable development.
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