Resuming manpower export to Malaysia
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Shahiduzzaman Khan
MALAYSIA imposed a fresh ban on hiring workers from Bangladesh as many migrant workers remained unemployed, were not paid their salaries and other facilities as per contracts. Several thousands of them also got stuck at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as their employers did not pick them up.
The Malaysian government in the latest agreements has made it mandatory that Bangladeshi workers not picked up within 24 hours of their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur Airport will be moved to an immigration depot where they will be kept for 72 hours before being deported. Announcing the ban, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the lackadaisical attitude of employers and local agents, especially in picking up the workers upon arrival, had created a big problem for the authorities.
The Malaysian minister claimed that Bangladeshi agents are largely responsible for the problem as they have been splurging massive amounts of money and collaborating with the Malaysian agents to get as many Bangladeshis as possible for employment in Malaysia. Social problems created by foreign workers were also one of the reasons for the announcement of the freeze, he said. Nearly 1.0 million job-seekers in Bangladesh will be affected by the recent Malaysian ban.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur M Khairuzzaman met with Malaysian home ministry's Deputy Secretary-General Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap on the issue and the latter pledged better handling of Bangladeshi workers' issues in Malaysia. Malaysian home ministry assured the Bangladeshi envoy that all Bangladeshi workers, who have been given approval but are yet to arrive in Malaysia, will be allowed to enter the country. According to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Malaysia approved 0.3 million Bangladeshi workers, of whom over 0,1 million are yet to leave Dhaka.
A Malaysian delegation is expected to arrive in Dhaka on October 15 to discuss with government officials and manpower exporters the latest issue arising out of the fresh ban on sending Bangladeshi workers to Kuala Lumpur. The five-member Malaysian home ministry team, headed by a deputy secretary, Raja Azhar, would stay in Dhaka for three days to reach an understanding. The mission is expected to devise a mechanism in consultation with Dhaka to resume manpower export to the Southeast Asian country through a most transparent manner. Office-bearers of BAIRA, apex body of private recruiters of overseas jobs, have expressed their confidence that they would be able to streamline the process of resuming the manpower export to Malaysia within the shortest possible time.
According to a survey conducted by a Malaysian human rights organisation, unauthorised sub-agents in Bangladesh and outsourcing companies and their sub-agents in Malaysia have misappropriated an estimated amount of more than Tk 20 billion from about 0.2 million Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Experts in the sector said a section of government officials of both the countries are also party to this unholy practice, which gave rise to a situation where a several thousand Bangladeshi workers were subject to abuse that led to an indefinite freeze by the Malaysian government on hiring workers from Bangladesh. According to the decision of Malaysia and Bangladesh, each Bangladeshi worker is supposed to pay no more than Tk 84,000 to cover the costs including agents' service charges, government fees, fees for medical tests, and airfare, but they had to pay Tk 0.2 million and above each.
The human rights organisation -- Tenaganita -- said apart from the official fees for visas, levies and attestations, outsourcing companies in Malaysia pay between 1,500 and 2,000 Malaysian Ringgit, equivalent to Tk 30,000 and Tk 40,000, in different forms to the Malaysian home ministry. Tenaganita that prepared the statement on the basis of a survey on 150 jobless and stranded Bangladeshi workers and a study on 36 cases of the workers, said Malaysian outsourcing companies also spend between 1,000 and 2,000 Malaysian Ringgit, equivalent to Tk 20,000 and Tk 40,000, as 'lobbyist fee' to their sub-agents. These companies sign deals with recruiting agencies in Bangladesh for hiring workers, as well as with employers in Malaysia for supplying the workers. The outsourcing companies, as per the Malaysian rules, are responsible for paying the salaries and ensuring other facilities for the workers upon receiving the money from the employers.
Tenaganita report is partly substantiated by a September 6, 2007 letter from Bangladesh expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry to the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), saying, there are allegations that Bangladeshi recruiting agencies are paying levy to the Malaysian government in advance. As per the Malaysian labour laws, Bangladeshi workers are supposed to pay the levy once they are employed in a Malaysian company.
An intelligence report at the end of last year said BAIRA president, who is also a former BNP lawmaker now in detention, monopolised the manpower business with Malaysia and charged an extra Tk 40,000 from each worker. On the other hand, an official of the Bangladesh expatriates' welfare ministry said that the Bangladesh delegation, which recently visited Malaysia to probe the workers' issues, recommended changing a few officials of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
What is surprising is that although the government had formulated a manpower export policy after 35 years of liberation, the country is yet to see its full implementation. A draft policy was prepared a few years ago and the policy-makers spent over two years just to discuss it. At least 0.25 million Bangladeshis go abroad for jobs every year.
An official source said the manpower policy incorporated the views of various ministries, organisations, agents and stakeholders. The situation looks like that it might take mare time to get the benefits of the policy after its full implementation. A comprehensive policy was thus needed to explore new markets for manpower export and retaining the existing ones. The initiative for such a policy was taken in 2003 but the process of finalising it was painstakingly slow. The draft has been prepared in accordance with the policies of other manpower exporting countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The policy is expected to help the ministry take measures for expanding Bangladesh's manpower export market.
The massive decline in Saudi demand has pushed down overall manpower export 15.45 per cent in 2005 compared to 2004. Similarly, South Korea, a lucrative job market for Bangladeshi workers, also identified high migration cost as the root cause for switching jobs and illegal overstaying of workers. The government has failed to reduce the cost of migration to Korea that shot up to Tk 0.50 million, since it has no control over the recruiting agencies. However, a first batch of 3000 to 4000 Bangladeshi workers are expected to leave for South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) by end of this year, It is thus essential that the government should update the rate of migration cost.
Lack of funds and experts in the expatriate ministry and apathetic attitude of the foreign missions towards emigrant workers are a major deterrent to exploring new markets. For example, Sudan is a potential market for foreign workers because of massive investment from foreign companies there, some of which sent letters to Bangladesh expressing interest in hiring its workers. But there is no Bangladesh mission there and the Bangladesh embassy in Cairo shows no interest in this connection. There should be a government cell for finding out new markets and for preparing the human resources accordingly in collaboration with the education ministry. A joint commission of the private and public sector also could be formed.
MALAYSIA imposed a fresh ban on hiring workers from Bangladesh as many migrant workers remained unemployed, were not paid their salaries and other facilities as per contracts. Several thousands of them also got stuck at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as their employers did not pick them up.
The Malaysian government in the latest agreements has made it mandatory that Bangladeshi workers not picked up within 24 hours of their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur Airport will be moved to an immigration depot where they will be kept for 72 hours before being deported. Announcing the ban, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the lackadaisical attitude of employers and local agents, especially in picking up the workers upon arrival, had created a big problem for the authorities.
The Malaysian minister claimed that Bangladeshi agents are largely responsible for the problem as they have been splurging massive amounts of money and collaborating with the Malaysian agents to get as many Bangladeshis as possible for employment in Malaysia. Social problems created by foreign workers were also one of the reasons for the announcement of the freeze, he said. Nearly 1.0 million job-seekers in Bangladesh will be affected by the recent Malaysian ban.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur M Khairuzzaman met with Malaysian home ministry's Deputy Secretary-General Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap on the issue and the latter pledged better handling of Bangladeshi workers' issues in Malaysia. Malaysian home ministry assured the Bangladeshi envoy that all Bangladeshi workers, who have been given approval but are yet to arrive in Malaysia, will be allowed to enter the country. According to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Malaysia approved 0.3 million Bangladeshi workers, of whom over 0,1 million are yet to leave Dhaka.
A Malaysian delegation is expected to arrive in Dhaka on October 15 to discuss with government officials and manpower exporters the latest issue arising out of the fresh ban on sending Bangladeshi workers to Kuala Lumpur. The five-member Malaysian home ministry team, headed by a deputy secretary, Raja Azhar, would stay in Dhaka for three days to reach an understanding. The mission is expected to devise a mechanism in consultation with Dhaka to resume manpower export to the Southeast Asian country through a most transparent manner. Office-bearers of BAIRA, apex body of private recruiters of overseas jobs, have expressed their confidence that they would be able to streamline the process of resuming the manpower export to Malaysia within the shortest possible time.
According to a survey conducted by a Malaysian human rights organisation, unauthorised sub-agents in Bangladesh and outsourcing companies and their sub-agents in Malaysia have misappropriated an estimated amount of more than Tk 20 billion from about 0.2 million Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Experts in the sector said a section of government officials of both the countries are also party to this unholy practice, which gave rise to a situation where a several thousand Bangladeshi workers were subject to abuse that led to an indefinite freeze by the Malaysian government on hiring workers from Bangladesh. According to the decision of Malaysia and Bangladesh, each Bangladeshi worker is supposed to pay no more than Tk 84,000 to cover the costs including agents' service charges, government fees, fees for medical tests, and airfare, but they had to pay Tk 0.2 million and above each.
The human rights organisation -- Tenaganita -- said apart from the official fees for visas, levies and attestations, outsourcing companies in Malaysia pay between 1,500 and 2,000 Malaysian Ringgit, equivalent to Tk 30,000 and Tk 40,000, in different forms to the Malaysian home ministry. Tenaganita that prepared the statement on the basis of a survey on 150 jobless and stranded Bangladeshi workers and a study on 36 cases of the workers, said Malaysian outsourcing companies also spend between 1,000 and 2,000 Malaysian Ringgit, equivalent to Tk 20,000 and Tk 40,000, as 'lobbyist fee' to their sub-agents. These companies sign deals with recruiting agencies in Bangladesh for hiring workers, as well as with employers in Malaysia for supplying the workers. The outsourcing companies, as per the Malaysian rules, are responsible for paying the salaries and ensuring other facilities for the workers upon receiving the money from the employers.
Tenaganita report is partly substantiated by a September 6, 2007 letter from Bangladesh expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry to the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), saying, there are allegations that Bangladeshi recruiting agencies are paying levy to the Malaysian government in advance. As per the Malaysian labour laws, Bangladeshi workers are supposed to pay the levy once they are employed in a Malaysian company.
An intelligence report at the end of last year said BAIRA president, who is also a former BNP lawmaker now in detention, monopolised the manpower business with Malaysia and charged an extra Tk 40,000 from each worker. On the other hand, an official of the Bangladesh expatriates' welfare ministry said that the Bangladesh delegation, which recently visited Malaysia to probe the workers' issues, recommended changing a few officials of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
What is surprising is that although the government had formulated a manpower export policy after 35 years of liberation, the country is yet to see its full implementation. A draft policy was prepared a few years ago and the policy-makers spent over two years just to discuss it. At least 0.25 million Bangladeshis go abroad for jobs every year.
An official source said the manpower policy incorporated the views of various ministries, organisations, agents and stakeholders. The situation looks like that it might take mare time to get the benefits of the policy after its full implementation. A comprehensive policy was thus needed to explore new markets for manpower export and retaining the existing ones. The initiative for such a policy was taken in 2003 but the process of finalising it was painstakingly slow. The draft has been prepared in accordance with the policies of other manpower exporting countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The policy is expected to help the ministry take measures for expanding Bangladesh's manpower export market.
The massive decline in Saudi demand has pushed down overall manpower export 15.45 per cent in 2005 compared to 2004. Similarly, South Korea, a lucrative job market for Bangladeshi workers, also identified high migration cost as the root cause for switching jobs and illegal overstaying of workers. The government has failed to reduce the cost of migration to Korea that shot up to Tk 0.50 million, since it has no control over the recruiting agencies. However, a first batch of 3000 to 4000 Bangladeshi workers are expected to leave for South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) by end of this year, It is thus essential that the government should update the rate of migration cost.
Lack of funds and experts in the expatriate ministry and apathetic attitude of the foreign missions towards emigrant workers are a major deterrent to exploring new markets. For example, Sudan is a potential market for foreign workers because of massive investment from foreign companies there, some of which sent letters to Bangladesh expressing interest in hiring its workers. But there is no Bangladesh mission there and the Bangladesh embassy in Cairo shows no interest in this connection. There should be a government cell for finding out new markets and for preparing the human resources accordingly in collaboration with the education ministry. A joint commission of the private and public sector also could be formed.