Warning signals for manpower export
Saturday, 21 June 2008
THERE can be no denying that the current macro-economic stability of Bangladesh stems mainly from its sending out of workers with the overseas jobs in growing number. The country's forex reserve recently surpassed $6.0 billion, thanks to a record number of people going out for overseas jobs.
But sustenance of this trend would depend vitally on retaining the market share in manpower export and also on creating more opportunities abroad. It is extremely important for the government to become quickly aware of a growing threat to our manpower export. In recent months, our workers have been expelled from Saudi Arabia, the biggest host country for Bangladeshi workers. Similar expulsions took place in Malaysia and the Gulf countries. Newspapers reported that some Bangladeshi workers were arrested in Qatar, and eventually sent back to Bangladesh on allegations that they were working there illegally. If this expulsion trend gets stronger, it could shatter the country's goodwill in the countries which employ Bangladeshi manpower. It could squeeze our manpower export. So, fast and effective steps need to be taken to reverse this trend.
It appears that Bangladeshis who go abroad, earned a good name for their work. But many of them are cheated on arrival by their employers who do not honour their contracts with the workers. The workers do not receive their salaries as in the contracts. At times they get nothing and are forced to live from hand to mouth. These circumstances forced the victims to drift away and take up jobs elsewhere in the host countries. For this they are charged for working illegally. But this cannot happen if the manpower exporters back home are better supervised and obliged to secure only proper contracts for the workers. Furthermore, our missions abroad need to be proactive to ensure that contracts are honoured by the employers. The missions should work on behalf of the workers with utmost sincerity so that they don't suffer expulsion, jail or harassment when they are not at fault.
In sum, it is imperative to streamline the entire process of manpower export so that the workers do not suffer necessarily. It is also needed to stem any big slide in the pivotal manpower export.
Md Jasimuddin
Twin Tower
Shantinagar, Dhaka.
But sustenance of this trend would depend vitally on retaining the market share in manpower export and also on creating more opportunities abroad. It is extremely important for the government to become quickly aware of a growing threat to our manpower export. In recent months, our workers have been expelled from Saudi Arabia, the biggest host country for Bangladeshi workers. Similar expulsions took place in Malaysia and the Gulf countries. Newspapers reported that some Bangladeshi workers were arrested in Qatar, and eventually sent back to Bangladesh on allegations that they were working there illegally. If this expulsion trend gets stronger, it could shatter the country's goodwill in the countries which employ Bangladeshi manpower. It could squeeze our manpower export. So, fast and effective steps need to be taken to reverse this trend.
It appears that Bangladeshis who go abroad, earned a good name for their work. But many of them are cheated on arrival by their employers who do not honour their contracts with the workers. The workers do not receive their salaries as in the contracts. At times they get nothing and are forced to live from hand to mouth. These circumstances forced the victims to drift away and take up jobs elsewhere in the host countries. For this they are charged for working illegally. But this cannot happen if the manpower exporters back home are better supervised and obliged to secure only proper contracts for the workers. Furthermore, our missions abroad need to be proactive to ensure that contracts are honoured by the employers. The missions should work on behalf of the workers with utmost sincerity so that they don't suffer expulsion, jail or harassment when they are not at fault.
In sum, it is imperative to streamline the entire process of manpower export so that the workers do not suffer necessarily. It is also needed to stem any big slide in the pivotal manpower export.
Md Jasimuddin
Twin Tower
Shantinagar, Dhaka.