An alliance of recruiting agencies yesterday urged both Bangladesh and Malaysia to ensure participation of all valid Bangladeshi recruiting agencies in sending workers to the Southeast Asian country.

Organising a press conference at a city hotel, members of "Baira Anti-Syndicate Grand Alliance" called on both governments to ensure dignified migration of workers under a "zero cost" policy.

Bangladesh and Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour cooperation in December last year, which essentially lifts a previous moratorium on hiring Bangladeshi workers.

However, recruitment of workers has not been started yet. More than 1,400 recruiting agencies are currently enlisted at the expatriates' welfare ministry.

At the press conference, the alliance members voiced concern over the reported number of 25 agencies to be given with the opportunity to send workers to Malaysia.

Malaysian market has not opened yet due to "influence" of the "syndicate" of 25 recruiting agencies. The government should look into the matter.

— Abul Bashar, Former President of Baira

They said this will deprive most agencies in the present context. They also condemned Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan's "confusing" remarks published in media over selecting recruiting agencies from Bangladesh.

Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, a former secretary general of Baira, said they were expecting that the market will be opened for all valid agencies after a Joint Working Group meeting between the two countries held in Dhaka on June 2.

He said in his visit to Bangladesh during the JWG meeting, Saravanan told the media that selection of recruiting agencies will be as per the decision of his country's cabinet. However, after returning to Malaysia, he reportedly said it was not an issue to be discussed in the cabinet, Shameem said.

Abul Bashar, a former president of Baira, alleged that Malaysian market has not opened yet due to "influence" of the "syndicate" of 25 recruiting agencies.

Fakhrul Islam, former finance secretary of Baira, Noor Ali, another former president of Baira, and M Tipu Sultan, president of Recruiting Agencies Oikya Parishad, among others, spoke at the event.