A Saudi Arabian ministerial panel has advised the government to lift a ban on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, Arab News reported Friday.
Recruitment from Bangladesh will resume on a gradual basis, beginning with house servants such as maids and drivers,” it said quoting a source.
Mokammel Hossain, Bangladesh consul for Labour Affairs, welcomed the move and said it would help his country export more trained and qualified labour to the Kingdom.
Arab News quoted Hossain as saying“We have been looking forward to this news for some time.”
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier urged Saudi Arabia to increase the import of manpower from the country.
There are more than 1.28 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia used to recruit about 150,000 Bangladeshis a year before the 2008 ban.
The Labor Ministry sources said the government would continue to issue visas for Bangladeshi workers, especially to carry out the government’s cleaning and maintenance contracts.
“We understand that Bangladesh can supply trained and qualified labor at a cheaper rate,” a source told the Arab News.
Bangladesh has pledged that it would not export nationals with criminal backgrounds to the Kingdom
The Saudi Embassy has been asked to keep a watch on the measures taken by the Bangladeshi government to ensure that criminal elements are not hired.
Saudi Arabia will also launch a new service to lease housemaids by monthly contracts within two weeks. The move will allow customers to hire maids on a weekly or hourly basis.
The paper quoting Saad Al-Badah, head of the National Committee for Recruitment at the Council of Saudi Chambers said the Saudi Manpower Services Company would soon launch the service. The company has already signed contracts to put various types of workers on the market for houses and other establishments.
“The company has managed to recruit more than 6,000 male and female workers from India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam”, said Al-Badah, adding that they would work in different sectors. Anybody can apply for the service by accessing to the company’s website.
Source: Bd news24