Media told after discussion with Malaysian minister
Bangladeshi workers will have to spend a maximum of Tk 40, 000 each for jobs in Malaysia that resumes recruitment under state arrangements in a few months, ending a nearly four-year ban.
“This is an indicative cost that would not be more than Tk 30, 000 to 40,000,” expatriates welfare minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said yesterday.
Mosharraf and Malaysian Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam addressed a press conference at Probashi Kalyan Bhaban in Dhaka following a two-day discussion on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour recruitment.
Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur will sign the MoU in one and a half months after a joint drafting committee finalises it and the Malaysian cabinet approves it, Subramaniam said.
The Malaysian Human Resources Ministry will list the potential employers. If approved by the government, employers will then get a number to access the Bangladeshi jobseekers’ database and select them for recruitment, he added.
Earlier in 2006, the Bangladesh government fixed the cost at Tk 84,000 each for jobs in Malaysia but the jobseekers had to spend around Tk 2 lakh each due to corrupt practices of private recruiting agencies and brokers. And this led to labour exploitation and the ban on recruitment in 2009.
In the wake of increasing labour demand in his country, Subramaniam came to Dhaka on Wednesday on a three-day visit to discuss and finalise a deal on recruiting workers from Bangladesh.
Mosharraf said both the sides agreed that the Malaysian employers will give the workers advance air tickets when they go to Malaysia. The workers will repay the fare in installments after they join jobs.
The employer will also give to the workers return tickets.
Primarily, workers will be recruited for five years. Later, their job contracts can be extended for five more years if the employers want, the minister said.
At the talks, both the sides agreed that Bangladesh’s Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) will register the jobseekers skill-wise and put their names in a database. It will also provide orientation on Malaysian laws, culture and language.
Mosharraf said the employers will then arrange visa for the selected workers, while the BMET will complete all other formalities for the jobseekers’ migration to Malaysia.
“When workers arrive at Kuala Lumpur Airport, Bangladesh’s welfare assistants will handover them to the Malaysian employers.”
A joint committee comprising officials from Bangladesh and Malaysia will be formed to monitor the entire recruitment process and address problems, if any, he said.
Asked how the Malay-sian government will verify if the employers have genuine demands for workers since many fake companies had earlier hired workers for making money, Subramaniam said their human resources ministry will strictly check the job demands.
The terms and conditions and facilities of jobs will be clearly mentioned in the job contracts, and his ministry will also work for protection of the workers, said the Malaysian minister.
About the number of workers to be recruited from Bangladesh, he said, “It will depend on the economy, but for now there are demands (for workers) for our plantation and manufacturing sectors.”
Source: The Daily Star
