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Manpower Export to KSA

Dhaka eyes an end to stalemate

Porimol Palma
An end to stalemate over labour recruitment in Saudi Arabia is expected as a high-powered delegation leaves today for the Kingdom at the much-desired official invitation by its labour minister.
"I am very positive and optimistic about the trip. Our ambassador in Riyadh says the
Saudi authorities are enthusiastic too,” Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told The Daily Star yesterday.
He is leading a six-member team to the Arab nation for a week and is likely to meet Labour Minister Adel Faqih, the vice interior minister and three governors. Bangladesh's largest labour market hosting over 2 million Bangladeshis, Saudi Arabia has significantly reduced recruitment of Bangladeshi workers since 2009. Labour recruitment from Bangladesh ranged from 7-15 thousand a year since 2009, although it was 1.32 lakh in 2008 and 2.04 lakhin2007.
The country has also not been allowing job transfer of Bangladeshis from one company to another; that became a huge problem for many. Some even cannot return home because of employers' non-payment of insurance premiums to the government.
After assuming power, the Awami League-led government tried to arrange a labour ministerial-level meeting to address these problems, but it was not possible.
"Now that they have invited us, I hope a truly fruitful meeting," Mosharraf Hossain said.
Officials at the expatriates' welfare ministry say Saudi Arabia perceives the rate of crimes conducted by Bangladeshis is more than others' there because of high migration costs. As they pay
Tk 4-5 lakh to go there, some could be involved in petty crimes to recoup the money, the officials add.
"I understand there are a good number of workers who are actually Rohingyas working there with Bangladeshi passports. They are more involved in crimes. If Saudi Arabia wants to deport them, we will not object," Mosharraf said.
Besides, they can punish the workers according to their laws if their crimes are proven, he continued, adding, the offenders can be tried after being deported if Saudi authorities want.
"If these problems are addressed, I am sure there will be no problem in more recruitment from Bangladesh [if the country requires workers] and addressing problems like job transfer," the minister observed.
Saudi Arabia has a policy of not recruiting more than 20 percent workers from a single country for each company, he said. "Even if they don't recruit from Bangladesh if such quotas are filled up, I will urge them to allow job transfer and ensure welfare."
Mosharraf said he would
propose an arrangement where both Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia will have strong supervision on labour recruitment so that middlemen cannot meddle.
'We want the employers to recruit from the database of jobseekers, not through the middlemen," he said.
Begum Shamsunnahar, director general of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and "framing, said Bangladesh would propose signing a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia for labour recruitment in a more transparent way.
Besides, special training will be arranged for the Saudi-bound workers if the Kingdom wants, said Shamsunnahar, also a member of the delegation.
Expatriates' Welfare Ministry Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary ShaikhWahiduzzaman, expatriates' welfare minister's personal secretary Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal and foreign ministry's Director General for West Asia Nazrul Islam are other members of the delegation.