Minister to visit Malaysia to end workers’ harassment

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc today told the parliament that he would visit Malaysia soon to put an end to the harassment of Bangladeshi workers there.

In reply to lawmakers’ queries, the minister also informed the House that the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia has undertaken 15 programmes to legalise undocumented Bangladeshi migrant workers in the country.

“The ministry [Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment] is aware of Bangladeshi workers’ harassment in Malaysia. If their [Malaysia] concerned minister cannot come to Bangladesh, I will visit the country soon to meet their minister to talk about the issue,” the minister said.

“The government will take measures so that the Bangladeshi migrants can move freely and work without any harassment in Malaysia,” added Nurul Islam. 

In a scripted answer, the minister said: “We have undertaken various programmes to create scope for undocumented workers so that they can be legalised in Malaysia.”

He said the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has requested the Malaysian government to stop the ongoing detention and to create scope for legalising the undocumented workers living in Malaysia.

He said the Malaysian government has provided e-cards to the workers and the workers having the e-card are eligible to collect passport registering their names in the rehearing programme.

The minister said the high commission has given charge to three vendor companies for managing the registration for the rehearing programme.

The minister said the Bangladesh High Commission, the ministry and its respective division are maintaining diplomatic relations with Malaysia to put its immediate end.

In reply to another query, Nurul informed the House that the government has taken punitive measures including cancelling license against 55 recruiting agencies in the last five years from 2014 for harassing the migrant workers.