The recruiting agencies of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia will shoulder all responsibilities of female workers as long as they remain in the kingdom.

The decision was taken at the third joint technical committee meeting between Bangladesh Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Development on November 27.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Salim Reza briefed the media at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Dhaka this noon about the outcome of the meeting.  

The recruiting agencies of both countries will also ensure the residential and other facilities of the workers waiting to return home until their repatriation, the joint committee decided.

The Saudi police will refrain from handing over fugitive women expatriates to their sponsors in any circumstance, as per the decision of the joint technical committee.

The respective recruiting agencies will bear all responsibilities including safe repatriation of the female workers who completed the tenure of their work and the agencies will inform the matter to the Bangladesh embassy and the Saudi labour ministry, the secretary said.

On completion of their work permit, if any female workers want to work for more times, they must have to renew their work permit based on approval of the Bangladesh embassy, he said at the press conference.

The department of protection and support of Saudi Arabia will take immediate steps if any allegation over the safety of any endangered female workers arises there and the respective labour welfare wing will take the issue to the concern authorities, he said.

During the technical meeting, a common agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia to recruit more workers from Bangladesh, he said.

The Saudi authority informed that the matter is now under process and it will be discussed during the next meeting of the joint technical committee, the foreign secretary said.

Both the sides discussed to stop business centring visa of the country, he said adding that the Saudi authority will ensure height punishment if any such allegation is proved authentic.

The health insurance of Bangladeshi workers in the country is not enough and thus the Saudi authority will undertake initiatives to force its local companies and employers to hike the health insurance of their workers, he said.

The Saudi authorities assured that they would take necessary steps to ensure due safety of the Bangladeshi female workers there, he said.