Increasing efforts to promote migrant workers' cause
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Syed Fattahul Alim
REMITTANCE being the second biggest source of foreign exchange earning after the export of merchandises, the government has been demonstrating its willingness to take a more proactive role in exploring new markets for the country's migrant workers. People in authority have always been very effusive in praising the migrant workers and their contribution to the economy. But in actual practice, little was done for their welfare and development. Now with the global recession crashing at the shores of the oil-rich economies of the Middle East, the biggest source of out remittance dollars, the moment of truth is getting closer.
The developments in the Gulf countries have forced the government to look for migrant workers' market elsewhere. Strangely though, the attention is now been turned to the European markets. However, the countries targeted are not the highly industrialised ones like the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and other traditional members of the European Union.
The new destinations of the migrant workers are but the new entrants of European Union (EU), the poorer members of the economic bloc of Europe. Some 1500 Bangladeshi workers have meanwhile been recruited by Rumania alone. And it is worthwhile to mention that it is again the selfsame recruiting agencies of the country to whom the credit goes in discovering these fresh markets for Bangladeshi workers. Anyway, to all appearances, the government has taken the new opening for our expatriate workers with due seriousness as it has decided to send a high-powered delegation to Rumania led by the Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary.
It is undoubtedly a good move, because so far recruiting agencies have been reigning supreme in the area of sending migrants workers abroad. As a result, the migrant workers have been subjected to endless harassments both at home abroad. Another reason for their harassment is their lack of information about the working environment of the countries they would go. Furthermore, they have no awareness about their rights, nor have they any inkling of the laws, both national and international, that protect their rights.
The government's increased awareness in this regard is appreciated. The high-powered delegation to be sent to Rumania should not therefore confine their entire activities in that country alone. They should also take this opportunity to explore the possibilities of manpower export to neighbouring European countries. As it has often been suggested by different quarters in the past, the Bangladesh missions abroad should actively pursue the cause of expanding the market for our manpower in the different economic sectors in the countries they are posted. The government on this score needs to take a more professional attitude while selecting people for employment in the overseas missions. This is being said, because the attitude of the government has hardly changed even to this today. For it has been noted that totally useless people sometimes get jobs in the foreign missions purely on political considerations. As a result, the foreign missions have become job creation centres where party loyalists of various kinds are dumped regardless of their potential, experience and efficiency. This has to be changed if the foreign missions are to serve the basic purpose of the diplomatic missions of the country. As all are aware of, in the era of economic diplomacy, the main purpose of the diplomatic missions of a least developed country (LDC) is mainly to look after business and other economic interests of the country. Now that the migrant workers have become a major source of national earning, the job descriptions of the diplomats will include also their experience and capacity for promoting this sector abroad. In a similar vein, they will also have to be sensitive and attentive to the welfare of the migrant workers employed in the host countries where they are posted. The authorities in charge of the country's diplomatic missions abroad are often found exhorting the diplomats about the need to attend to the welfare of the migrant workers. However, exhortation being part of their orientation cannot be denied altogether. But what is more important than exhortation is placing the right person with necessary experience in the diplomatic missions abroad. For they are to serve a cause not out of kindness or sympathy, but to prove their efficiency at the tasks they are assigned to.
If truth be told, so far, the migrant workers have been treated as an easy source of foreign dollars. But since the kinds of job they do abroad are but nondescript in nature in the eyes of the more elitist members of the administration and society at large, their status commensurate to the contribution they make to the economy was never given a serious consideration, except while giving lip service to their cause.
Therefore, the social and administrative attitude towards these hard working people should undergo a sea change. It is reassuring on this regard that the government is thinking of creating the necessary regulatory framework to protect the migrant workers' rights and welfare. The idea of establishing 34 training institutes for developing the skills of the overseas job-seekers and introducing a train service for the homebound migrant workers so that they may avail themselves of it from the airport to their respective destinations through a gangway created for the purpose is no doubt novel. This arrangement will save them from the hassles at the airport they face from the taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers.
The status of the expatriate workers apart, the loan and investment facilities pledged at a dialogue addressed by the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment minister Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain to be provided to the migrant workers speak well of the government's concern about the migrant workers. If implemented, the workers seeking overseas employment will get institutional loan facilities when going abroad after getting employment. Such measure will save the overseas jobseekers from the kind of exploitations they become subject to at the hands of the recruiting agencies and informal moneylenders. The investment opportunities for the returning expatriate workers, on the other hand, would provide them with the scope for self-employment.
It is hoped that the government will live up to its promise of looking after the single biggest foreign exchange earning sector of the economy.
The situation in the overseas employment is still going steady though new recruitments from the Middle East and Southeast Asia has practically come to a halt. The Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister however has uttered words of assurance saying that some 200,000 (two hundred thousand) migrant workers have been sent abroad during the last three months, while only 27,000 workers returned home during that time.
The country last year earned US$ 9.0 billion from expatriate workers' remittance alone.
That means the foreign remittance sector is still growing in spite of the impact of the recession in the overseas employment markets. Even then, there are still reasons for concern and caution as the outflow of workers to major destinations of the country's manpower export-the Gulf countries and Southeast Asia-has already shrunk by 16 per cent.
So, there is no room for complacency for the present. The government meanwhile will have to continue its efforts at taking various innovative measures to promote and protect this sector of the economy during the time of recession. Diplomatic efforts should be on to explore fresh job markets in Eastern Europe where Western Europe's industrialised nations have been increasing investments to take advantage of the cheaper labour available there.
REMITTANCE being the second biggest source of foreign exchange earning after the export of merchandises, the government has been demonstrating its willingness to take a more proactive role in exploring new markets for the country's migrant workers. People in authority have always been very effusive in praising the migrant workers and their contribution to the economy. But in actual practice, little was done for their welfare and development. Now with the global recession crashing at the shores of the oil-rich economies of the Middle East, the biggest source of out remittance dollars, the moment of truth is getting closer.
The developments in the Gulf countries have forced the government to look for migrant workers' market elsewhere. Strangely though, the attention is now been turned to the European markets. However, the countries targeted are not the highly industrialised ones like the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and other traditional members of the European Union.
The new destinations of the migrant workers are but the new entrants of European Union (EU), the poorer members of the economic bloc of Europe. Some 1500 Bangladeshi workers have meanwhile been recruited by Rumania alone. And it is worthwhile to mention that it is again the selfsame recruiting agencies of the country to whom the credit goes in discovering these fresh markets for Bangladeshi workers. Anyway, to all appearances, the government has taken the new opening for our expatriate workers with due seriousness as it has decided to send a high-powered delegation to Rumania led by the Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary.
It is undoubtedly a good move, because so far recruiting agencies have been reigning supreme in the area of sending migrants workers abroad. As a result, the migrant workers have been subjected to endless harassments both at home abroad. Another reason for their harassment is their lack of information about the working environment of the countries they would go. Furthermore, they have no awareness about their rights, nor have they any inkling of the laws, both national and international, that protect their rights.
The government's increased awareness in this regard is appreciated. The high-powered delegation to be sent to Rumania should not therefore confine their entire activities in that country alone. They should also take this opportunity to explore the possibilities of manpower export to neighbouring European countries. As it has often been suggested by different quarters in the past, the Bangladesh missions abroad should actively pursue the cause of expanding the market for our manpower in the different economic sectors in the countries they are posted. The government on this score needs to take a more professional attitude while selecting people for employment in the overseas missions. This is being said, because the attitude of the government has hardly changed even to this today. For it has been noted that totally useless people sometimes get jobs in the foreign missions purely on political considerations. As a result, the foreign missions have become job creation centres where party loyalists of various kinds are dumped regardless of their potential, experience and efficiency. This has to be changed if the foreign missions are to serve the basic purpose of the diplomatic missions of the country. As all are aware of, in the era of economic diplomacy, the main purpose of the diplomatic missions of a least developed country (LDC) is mainly to look after business and other economic interests of the country. Now that the migrant workers have become a major source of national earning, the job descriptions of the diplomats will include also their experience and capacity for promoting this sector abroad. In a similar vein, they will also have to be sensitive and attentive to the welfare of the migrant workers employed in the host countries where they are posted. The authorities in charge of the country's diplomatic missions abroad are often found exhorting the diplomats about the need to attend to the welfare of the migrant workers. However, exhortation being part of their orientation cannot be denied altogether. But what is more important than exhortation is placing the right person with necessary experience in the diplomatic missions abroad. For they are to serve a cause not out of kindness or sympathy, but to prove their efficiency at the tasks they are assigned to.
If truth be told, so far, the migrant workers have been treated as an easy source of foreign dollars. But since the kinds of job they do abroad are but nondescript in nature in the eyes of the more elitist members of the administration and society at large, their status commensurate to the contribution they make to the economy was never given a serious consideration, except while giving lip service to their cause.
Therefore, the social and administrative attitude towards these hard working people should undergo a sea change. It is reassuring on this regard that the government is thinking of creating the necessary regulatory framework to protect the migrant workers' rights and welfare. The idea of establishing 34 training institutes for developing the skills of the overseas job-seekers and introducing a train service for the homebound migrant workers so that they may avail themselves of it from the airport to their respective destinations through a gangway created for the purpose is no doubt novel. This arrangement will save them from the hassles at the airport they face from the taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers.
The status of the expatriate workers apart, the loan and investment facilities pledged at a dialogue addressed by the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment minister Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain to be provided to the migrant workers speak well of the government's concern about the migrant workers. If implemented, the workers seeking overseas employment will get institutional loan facilities when going abroad after getting employment. Such measure will save the overseas jobseekers from the kind of exploitations they become subject to at the hands of the recruiting agencies and informal moneylenders. The investment opportunities for the returning expatriate workers, on the other hand, would provide them with the scope for self-employment.
It is hoped that the government will live up to its promise of looking after the single biggest foreign exchange earning sector of the economy.
The situation in the overseas employment is still going steady though new recruitments from the Middle East and Southeast Asia has practically come to a halt. The Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister however has uttered words of assurance saying that some 200,000 (two hundred thousand) migrant workers have been sent abroad during the last three months, while only 27,000 workers returned home during that time.
The country last year earned US$ 9.0 billion from expatriate workers' remittance alone.
That means the foreign remittance sector is still growing in spite of the impact of the recession in the overseas employment markets. Even then, there are still reasons for concern and caution as the outflow of workers to major destinations of the country's manpower export-the Gulf countries and Southeast Asia-has already shrunk by 16 per cent.
So, there is no room for complacency for the present. The government meanwhile will have to continue its efforts at taking various innovative measures to promote and protect this sector of the economy during the time of recession. Diplomatic efforts should be on to explore fresh job markets in Eastern Europe where Western Europe's industrialised nations have been increasing investments to take advantage of the cheaper labour available there.