Govt fails to ensure minimum wages for Bangladeshis working abroad
FE Report | Friday, 1 August 2008
A large number of Bangladeshis working abroad, particularly the countries in the Middle East, are deprived of fair wages as the government fails to dictate the terms of job in commensurate with living expenses, a senior official said Thursday.
He said the government a decade ago set the minimum wages for the country's job seekers in the Middle Eastern countries, which were not enhanced in the subsequent years resulting in a growing number of incidents involving the disgruntled Bangladeshi workers abroad in recent months.
"We could not set the minimum wages for our workers in Middle Eastern countries in consistent with soaring living expenses there in the last one decade," said a senior official of the ministry of expatriates' welfare and overseas employment.
He said the wages received by Bangladeshis in Middle Eastern countries are lower than that received by workers of any other country.
Moreover, he said, it has not been monitored properly whether or not the country's workers are getting their remuneration even under the wage structure set earlier.
Director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Md Abdul Malek said: "Labour wings in Bangladesh missions abroad are assigned to see the interest of the workers, including the wage issue."
"We don't issue any clearance here to any worker for leaving the country if he/she is not assured of minimum wages by foreign employers," he said.
The government set minimum wages for a skilled and semi-skilled workers (with meal) in Saudi Arabia at 600 riyal, Oman 55 dirham, Bahrain 60 dirham, Qatar 600 riyal, UAE 600 dirham and Kuwait 47 dinnar nearly a decade ago.
Minimum wages without meal for a skilled and semi-skilled worker were set in Saudi Arabia at 750 riyal, Oman 70 dirham, Bahrain 75 dirham, Qatar 750 riyal, UAE 750 dirham and Kuwait 60 dinnar.
Apart from this, the government set minimum wages for a non-skilled workers (with meal) in Saudi Arabia at 400 riyal, Oman 40 dirham, Bahrain 40 dirham, Qatar 400 riyal, UAE 400 dirham and Kuwait 35 dinnar.
Minimum wages without meal for a non-skilled worker was set in Saudi Arabia at 750 riyal, Oman 70 dirham, Bahrain 75 dirham, Qatar 750 riyal, UAE 750 dirham, and Kuwait 60 dinnar.
Abdur Rahman, a worker deported with 156 others from Kuwait on Thursday, told the FE that "How can I survive with 20 Kuwaiti dinar when the country faces 100 per cent food price hike in the recent months."
Director general of BMET said: "I will draw attention of the ministry about the matter."
A senior official of the ministry of expatriates' welfare, however, said: "We are considering sitting with authorities concerned of the government of major Bangladeshi manpower receiving countries to set a new wage structure through mutual discussion."
Over 5.6 million Bangladeshis, living and working in over 100 countries, sent home $7.939 billion remittances in the fiscal 2007-08 against $5.978 billion in 2006-07 fiscal, according to the provisional figures of the central bank of Bangladesh.
He said the government a decade ago set the minimum wages for the country's job seekers in the Middle Eastern countries, which were not enhanced in the subsequent years resulting in a growing number of incidents involving the disgruntled Bangladeshi workers abroad in recent months.
"We could not set the minimum wages for our workers in Middle Eastern countries in consistent with soaring living expenses there in the last one decade," said a senior official of the ministry of expatriates' welfare and overseas employment.
He said the wages received by Bangladeshis in Middle Eastern countries are lower than that received by workers of any other country.
Moreover, he said, it has not been monitored properly whether or not the country's workers are getting their remuneration even under the wage structure set earlier.
Director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Md Abdul Malek said: "Labour wings in Bangladesh missions abroad are assigned to see the interest of the workers, including the wage issue."
"We don't issue any clearance here to any worker for leaving the country if he/she is not assured of minimum wages by foreign employers," he said.
The government set minimum wages for a skilled and semi-skilled workers (with meal) in Saudi Arabia at 600 riyal, Oman 55 dirham, Bahrain 60 dirham, Qatar 600 riyal, UAE 600 dirham and Kuwait 47 dinnar nearly a decade ago.
Minimum wages without meal for a skilled and semi-skilled worker were set in Saudi Arabia at 750 riyal, Oman 70 dirham, Bahrain 75 dirham, Qatar 750 riyal, UAE 750 dirham and Kuwait 60 dinnar.
Apart from this, the government set minimum wages for a non-skilled workers (with meal) in Saudi Arabia at 400 riyal, Oman 40 dirham, Bahrain 40 dirham, Qatar 400 riyal, UAE 400 dirham and Kuwait 35 dinnar.
Minimum wages without meal for a non-skilled worker was set in Saudi Arabia at 750 riyal, Oman 70 dirham, Bahrain 75 dirham, Qatar 750 riyal, UAE 750 dirham, and Kuwait 60 dinnar.
Abdur Rahman, a worker deported with 156 others from Kuwait on Thursday, told the FE that "How can I survive with 20 Kuwaiti dinar when the country faces 100 per cent food price hike in the recent months."
Director general of BMET said: "I will draw attention of the ministry about the matter."
A senior official of the ministry of expatriates' welfare, however, said: "We are considering sitting with authorities concerned of the government of major Bangladeshi manpower receiving countries to set a new wage structure through mutual discussion."
Over 5.6 million Bangladeshis, living and working in over 100 countries, sent home $7.939 billion remittances in the fiscal 2007-08 against $5.978 billion in 2006-07 fiscal, according to the provisional figures of the central bank of Bangladesh.