17,000 workers’ fate up in the air
Despite getting emigration clearance, around 17,000 aspirant migrant workers could not fly to Malaysia before the May 31 deadline due to alleged mismanagement in the recruitment process.
Their fates now hang in the balance.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Under the existing labour migration situation, the recruitment process for these workers had started much earlier and each had to pay hefty sums to secure jobs in Malaysia.
Many had to travel to Dhaka from other districts for different purposes, including pre-migration medical tests.
"If the government wants to compensate the workers, it should return the exact amount they had to pay throughout the process, which could be higher than the government-fixed cost."
Some even made sure to be present at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital on Friday, the day of the deadline.
The reason for them not being able to go is yet to be known.
Against this backdrop, the expatriates' welfare ministry has been trying to reopen the Malaysian labour market and has planned to meet the Malaysian high commissioner in Dhaka on Wednesday to discuss the next course of action for these workers.
Labour migration expert Prof CR Abrar said those responsible for creating an uncertain situation for the aspirant migrants need to be identified first and then punished.
He said many of these workers have left their occupations to get a job in Malaysia, while many others have sold their assets to arrange migration costs.
"There are associated costs that the workers will have to incur in case of their ultimate failure. We're not considering those."
Pointing at the government's compensation plan, Abrar said if the government wants to compensate the workers, it should return the exact amount they had to pay throughout the process, which could be higher than the government-fixed cost.
Malaysia resumed hiring Bangladeshi workers in 2022 after a four-year suspension over allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process.
Briefing reporters at his office on Sunday, Shafiqur Rahman Choudhury, state minister for expatriates' welfare and overseas employment, said as of May 31, the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training granted emigration clearance to 4,93,642 workers.
"Of them, 4,76,672 could leave for Malaysia by the deadline, meaning around 16,970 individuals were unable to go."
He added that a six-member probe body will, in the next seven days, investigate why workers with valid visas could not go to Malaysia, and will ensure that those responsible are brought to book.
The ministry's Secretary Ruhul Amin said they were planning to return the money to those who could not go.
After signing an MoU on labour cooperation with Malaysia in 2021, the Bangladesh government set a maximum of Tk 78,990 as migration cost.
However, Bangladesh Labour Force Survey-2022 said the average recruitment cost for jobs in Malaysia was Tk 3.40 lakh.
Shariful Hasan, head of BRAC's migration and youth initiatives programme, said the situation was similar when Malaysia had stopped issuing visas in the past, putting a number of workers' future into uncertainty. However, no acceptable solution was found back then and the workers were also not compensated, he added.
"We don't have good examples in this regard," he said, adding, the government should first assess the situation and then arrange compensation for the workers.
Malaysia announced the May 31 deadline in early March for 14 of its source countries, including Bangladesh.
However, the Bangladesh government responded in May and arranged some additional flights for the workers, which also turned out to be insufficient.
It also requested the Malaysian authorities to extend the deadline, but they did not respond.
Malaysia has been an attractive destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, who prefer it over some traditional markets in the Gulf due to various factors, including higher wages.
According to the Labour Force Survey-2022, on an average a Bangladeshi migrant worker earns Tk 28,822 a month in Malaysia, and Tk 24,957 in Saudi Arabia.
Last year, Malaysia was Bangladesh's second-largest overseas job market after Saudi Arabia.
Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies, said they will work with the government so that the workers do not have to face losses.
"We will also assist the government-formed probe body investigating the issue," he told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.
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