Minister: Talks with Malaysia over manpower export this month

The much-awaited joint bilateral working technical committee meeting between the governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia will be held this month to discuss manpower export, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam has said.

“We have sent a letter to the newly-formed government of Malaysia in this regard. Once they give their approval, we can expect the technical committee to have their first meeting by this month,” the minister said on Monday.

On issue of increasing arrests of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, the minister said: “Those who entered the country illegally were given a deadline to get their paperwork done. But as the deadline passed, those who did not complete the procedure were arrested. Such workers are few in numbers.”

Nurul said the illegal workers will have to return to Bangladesh.

“But that applies to workers who came illegally any country.”

The drive against illegal workers has been going on in Malaysia since July 1 and the issue of legalizing illegal nationals will be raised during the joint committee’s meeting.

According to sources at the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, the deadline for Bangladeshis was over last month. Currently, there are one million workers in Malaysia, 60% of them legal and 40% illegal.

According to a report by Malaysian daily The Star, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran has said their government had suspended the system currently in place for the recruitment of migrant workers from Bangladesh.

When asked about this, Nurul said it will not hamper the process of sending workers over there.

“The Malaysian government has not officially informed us about this, but since they have a demand for workers, they are likely to keep taking Bangladeshi workers,” he said.

He added that there is no chance of the process to be suspended, nor has there been any request to re-evaluate the recruitment deal.

About the Malaysian government’s allegations of a syndicate, he said this was an internal matter for the country.

“The process of sending workers from here was approved after an agreement between the two governments,” the minister added.

With the amount of investment they are putting in new industries, it is imperative that they will need more manpower, the minister said.

After sending workers to Malaysia from Bangladesh was suspended for a long time, it was reopened late 2016 through a syndicate of 10 designated recruitment agencies, who have so far sent 1.6 lakh workers in a government-to-government plus (G2G) process.

Joint secretary general at Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman demanded that the time frame for legalizing paperwork of illegal Bangladeshi workers be extended.

“The current agreement has been ratified by Parliaments of both of the countries,” he said.

“We can assume that the number of workers sent will be lower now, but it won’t be cancelled altogether.”

Noman added that the new government may take new initiatives, but that will be subject to approval by the joint working technical committee.

Bangladesh Japan’s 1st choice in South Asia for skilled manpower

Relationship between the Japanese and Bangladeshis living in Japan has been bolstered significantly in recent years, resulting in the growth of Bangladesh’s labour market there, speakers said at a press conference yesterday.

Asian People’s Friendship Society (APFS), a Tokyo-based rights organisation, organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.

The Japanese increasingly prefer Bangladeshi professionals over other South Asians. Such preference could help Bangladesh set its new destination for labour export in Japan, speakers said at the event.

Speakers, from both Bangladesh and Japan, made the remarks based on a recent research on Japan-Bangladesh friendship and migration, jointly conducted by APFS and Rikkyo University in Japan.

The elderly population in Japan is growing remarkably. To fulfil the demand for labour, the country has to import skilled manpower and its first choice is Bangladesh, said Masud Kamal, the chief coordinator of the research.

“We interviewed many Japanese for our research. Most of them said they prefer Bangladeshi workers over those from other South Asian countries,” he said.

The Japanese government has recently — after several years of efforts by APFS — eased the terms and conditions for Bangladeshi workers to stay in the country, added Masud, former secretary general of APFS.

APFS President Yoshinari Katsuo, Prof Mizukami Tetsuo and Prof Noro Yoshiaki from Rikkyo University, and Waseda University [in Japan] lecturer Nakayama Yuka also spoke at the programme.

Recruitment in Malaysia: Steps against syndicate soon

The expatriates’ welfare ministry will issue show cause notices to 10 recruiting agencies whose alleged monopoly in labour recruitment in Malaysia has led to the suspension of SPPA, an online system for recruitment of foreign workers, from September 1.

Suspension of SPPA means Malaysia will not approve any new demand for labour from the employers until a new system is introduced. However, those who have already got visas will be allowed to enter the country.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam yesterday said, “We will issue show cause notices. We are collecting data now.”

He made the comments after facing a volley of questions from reporters about his ministry’s probable actions against the syndicate. He was speaking at a Meet the Press with the Reporters for Bangladeshi Migrants (RBM) at the ministry.

Nurul Islam did not give any date for issuing the notices.

He said selection of 10 Bangladeshi recruiting agents was made by the Malaysian government in 2016, apparently evading his ministry’s responsibility in holding the agencies accountable.

“I have always been against the manpower syndicate. It’s the Malaysian government that controls the syndicate, not us,” he said.

The 10 agents accused of monopoly and charging excessive amounts from the migrants are Unique Eastern Pvt Ltd, Catharsis International, ISMT Human Resources Development Ltd, Amin Tours and Travels, Al Islam Overseas, Prantik Travels & Tourism Ltd, Shanjari International, Rabbi International, Passage Associates and Career Overseas Consultants Ltd.

On June 22, Malaysian newspaper, The Star, reported that an organised syndicate of 10 agents, led by a Bangladeshi businessman having alleged political connections with the Malaysian home ministry, raked in at least two billion Malaysian ringgits (around Tk 4,000 crore) from 100,000 Bangladeshi workers in just two years.

Considering that 2 lakh workers have gone to Malaysia, the figure might be Tk 8,000 crore.

Each of the workers paid RM20,000 (around Tk 4 lakh) to their Bangladeshi agents, who then paid half of the sum to the syndicate to have work permit approvals and flight tickets to Malaysia, said the report.

On August 14, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the system of 10 agents authorised for recruitment of workers from Bangladesh resulted in a monopolistic situation.

Terming the whole process a “total mess”, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran on June 23 said the previous administration managed the whole recruitment process like a business aimed at benefiting certain individuals.

Minister Nurul Islam yesterday said his ministry did not receive any letter from Malaysia regarding suspension of SPPA.

Two lakh Bangladeshi workers have migrated to Malaysia under the current recruitment system since early last year. Another 30,000 who have visas would also go there, he said.

“We don’t think Malaysia has closed its labour market for Bangladesh,” Nurul Islam said, adding that the ministry has sent a note verbale to the Malaysian authorities concerned to understand the latest development.

He mentioned that the Bangladesh mission in Malaysia was looking into the matter.

An official of Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur told this correspondent yesterday that they would hold a meeting with the Malaysian authorities in the first week of next month to discuss the issue.

Syndicate active to foil BAIRA election

A  10-member recruiting agencies  who are involved in syndicate manpower business  in Malaysia  has been  allegedly  trying to foil election of Bangladesh Association of Recruiting Agencies of Bangladesh ( BAIRA)   violating the  order of a  higher court  .

It is learnt that  the election of the organization has become uncertain due to intervention of some  influential recruiting agencies led by eminent businessman Salman F Rahman to make monopoly business  . The 10 agencies are called ‘ 10-syndicate’ .    Though according to the direction of the High Court Division of Supreme Court there is an  obligation to hold the election within September 20 but in the meantime ,  the election date was differed  and  no schedule was declared in the board meeting .

Election Board Chairman Muhammad Anisur Rahman  and their associates  declared  submission of nomination papers by August 11 but it was shifted to August 16 and later this date was shifted to September 3, 2018 and this date now has been fixed on September 18 but the owners of  general recruiting agencies are still in doubt over the election .

Sources said, the election is being influenced due to export of manpower to different countries  particularly to Malaysia and those who are not actively involved in manpower business, they are coming to frontline to grab the business . Immediate past president  Benzir Ahmed’s name was proposed by a section agencies though he is not active in the business now.

Besides, the number of voters has declined due to syndicate business .  The number of voters was 957 last year and this year the voter is 832 only .

In this regard, Monsur Ahmed Kalam, former secretary general of  Bangladesh Association of Recruiting Agencies of Bangladesh ( BAIRA)  said, a  group of  is out to foil the election for their business interest  and major recruiting agencies want election in scheduled time .

BAIRA is an association of national level with its international reputation of co-operation and welfare of the migrant workforce as well as its  member agencies in collaboration with and support from the Government of Bangladesh.

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