BAIRA seeks govt support to help affected workers
Monday, 7 September 2009
Mashiur Rahaman
The country's recruiting agency leaders made an appeal to the government for financial assistance in order to support the Bangladeshi workers whose visas have been suspended by the Malaysian government in March this year.
"We see no sign of reconciliation of the issue even after five long months," recruiting leaders said adding that they (recruiters) now need financial assistance in the form of loans on easy terms.
According to BAIRA, Malaysian government suspended the visas of 55,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers in March 2009. Of the total, 14,000 had already processed their paper works and paid necessary fees when the visas were suspended.
"These 14,000 workers deserve government attention as they were not at fault," Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), told FE adding that BAIRA is willing to cooperate with the government to end the crisis.
"Pay us interest free loan against our licences from the commercial banks or from the wage earners fund so that we can pay back the poor workers to end their misery and repay the loan in good time," he said.
"These migrant workers followed every existing rule and paid all fees accordingly. Since their visas were suspended, it's also the responsibility of the government to help," he said.
He said recruiting agencies for last four months have tried their best to support these ill-fated workers with whatever they could do financially. "But we have our limitations," he said.
"We are in desperate situation," the BAIRA president Golam Mostafa told the FE.
Manpower export has been the most affected sector by the recession but the government doesn't even want to recognise that, he added.
"We appeal for our share from the government announced recession stimulus package, but the government has been overlooking our situation, as if nothing has happened," BAIRA president said.
The country's recruiting agency leaders made an appeal to the government for financial assistance in order to support the Bangladeshi workers whose visas have been suspended by the Malaysian government in March this year.
"We see no sign of reconciliation of the issue even after five long months," recruiting leaders said adding that they (recruiters) now need financial assistance in the form of loans on easy terms.
According to BAIRA, Malaysian government suspended the visas of 55,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers in March 2009. Of the total, 14,000 had already processed their paper works and paid necessary fees when the visas were suspended.
"These 14,000 workers deserve government attention as they were not at fault," Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), told FE adding that BAIRA is willing to cooperate with the government to end the crisis.
"Pay us interest free loan against our licences from the commercial banks or from the wage earners fund so that we can pay back the poor workers to end their misery and repay the loan in good time," he said.
"These migrant workers followed every existing rule and paid all fees accordingly. Since their visas were suspended, it's also the responsibility of the government to help," he said.
He said recruiting agencies for last four months have tried their best to support these ill-fated workers with whatever they could do financially. "But we have our limitations," he said.
"We are in desperate situation," the BAIRA president Golam Mostafa told the FE.
Manpower export has been the most affected sector by the recession but the government doesn't even want to recognise that, he added.
"We appeal for our share from the government announced recession stimulus package, but the government has been overlooking our situation, as if nothing has happened," BAIRA president said.