Malaysia May “Open” Foreign Worker Market In A Week, Said Expat Minister
The Malaysian government may open its foreign workers job market for the Bangladeshi workers within seven days, expatriates’ welfare minister said Thursday. He said Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur recently has informed the ministry that the market will be open shortly.
“The Malaysian market may be open within seven days as our Bangladesh mission has given such indication,” Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE) minister Nurul Islam said.
He was speaking to reporters after the launch of Probash Bandhu call centre at the Probashi Kallayan Bhaban in the city.
He also said they will fix migration cost for Malaysia-bound workers immediately after opening of the market.
Replying to a query, the minister said that workers will be selected from the existing database. “We have already enlisted a large number of workers. Workers will be sent from the existing database.”
Mr Islam said foreign workers will be sent through private recruitment companies.
When contacted, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) secretary general Ruhul Amin said that the Southeast Asian country needs a significant number of foreign workers to run their trade and services sectors.
“We hope nearly 250,000 workers will get employment opportunities every year in the Malaysian market”.
When asked, the BAIRA leader said they would follow what were stipulated in the deal which was signed between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur in fixing migration cost.
He said they will try to keep the migration cost for Malaysia-bound workers at a ‘rational’ level.
Abdur Rouf, joint secretary of the ministry of EWOE, told the FE the ministry would set up a cell in Malaysia to oversee whether private agencies formed syndicates, charged extra migration costs and exploited workers.
The cell will monitor the overall migration process to the Malaysian market. Representatives from the Bangladesh mission in Malaysia, expatriate welfare ministry and manpower recruiters’ association will work in the cell, he said.
“So, fraudulent manpower agencies will not be able to cheat the workers,” he said.
He said Malaysia will recruit workers in five sectors, including service, construction, manufacturing, plantation and farming.
Nearly 600,000 Bangladeshi workers have been staying in Malaysia, of which 70 per cent are working in the construction sector, while 30 per cent in plantation, according to sector insiders.
Meanwhile, the expatriate welfare minister launched call centre named ‘Probash Bandhu’ for expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Jordan.
Bangladeshi workers will get swift services from the centre. The centre will receive call from workers from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.
The expatriate workers will be able to discuss on their passport-related problems, legal issues, sending back dead bodies, sending back sick and wounded workers and financial support, compensations, stipend etc through the call centre.
The workers can also lodge complaints if they don’t get due services from the government.
The complaints will be forwarded to the departments concerned for due action. The ministry will introduce the same facilities for other destination countries gradually.
News Source: Financial Expresses