Bangladesh (see also Saudi Arabia, India)
Overseas jobs for Bangladeshis
Employment for Bangladeshis is on the rise again after a temporary slump in the labor market in March, according to sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saudi Arabia has clarified that visas will still be issued to Bangladeshis, even after reports surfaced of a website posting negative publicity against them. Bangladeshi authorities earlier met with Saudi officials and had the website removed on 27 March.
South Korea has raised the recruitment quota for Bangladeshi workers to 8,000 for March 2008 until February 2009, according to Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Chowdhury. He said that Bangladeshi authorities should allow for a speedy and transparent selection process under the Employment Permit System Scheme. He stressed the need for upgrading skills, saying that the quota may be raised next year if Bangladesh meets the demand of South Korean employers for skilled workers.
New windows of employment for Bangladeshi workers are opening up in Canada, said Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury on 17 April. A tripartite agreement between the International Organization for Migration, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and employers will be signed to secure collaboration. As an initial step, 100 placements will be made in meat-processing factories. About 1,150 workers will also be processed for employment in Canada’s construction sector.
Returnees from Malaysia face threats from lenders and middlemen
Bangladeshi workers who returned home from Malaysia said they are now being harassed by lenders and middlemen in their home country. These 137 returnees were once part of the 800 Bangladeshis workers who staged protests last year against alleged abuses by their employer, a Malaysian textile company. While others were provided jobs, some were sent home. The returnees are now pressured by lenders and middlemen to pay back the money they borrowed. The returnees had already asked Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) to ask for compensation from the agencies that sent them to Malaysia, but they say nothing has been done. A BMET official, however, said the case has been reported to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. They will take action once the ministry gives its orders.
In related news, a new batch of workers returned from Malaysia using fake passports. On 25 April, Bangladeshi immigration authorities detained 45 people at the Zia International Airport for holding fake passports on a return flight from Malaysia. An immigration official said the arrested were foreign workers who stopped working for their Malaysian employers because of maltreatment and low wages. They claimed they were forced to use fake passports because their employers never returned their original passports. The official also said he saw marks of abuse on their bodies.
Bangladeshis return from Jordan, Iraq; clemency sought Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia
About 5,000 Bangladeshis were released after being punished for overstaying in Jordan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on 8 April. The Bangladeshis make up 80 percent of the total 6,040 foreign workers who were given amnesty.
Forty-two Bangladeshi jobseekers lured with promising jobs and then later dumped in war-torn Iraq finally went home on 23 April. They were offered high-paying jobs but were later left at various conflict zones in Iraq without food or jobs. Their passports were also taken from them and sold to others, forcing them to buy their new passports at higher prices. The returnees were among some 100 Bangladeshis who have fallen victim to forged visas provided by unscrupulous recruiters. The workers were able to return home with the help of the Assisted Voluntary Return program of the International Organization for Migration.
Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed appealed to the King of Saudi Arabia on 16 April to grant clemency to eight Bangladeshis sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia. The eight were accused of murdering an Egyptian worker in Riyadh last year. Three others were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. The government has appealed to the victim’s family to drop charges in return for “blood money.”
Sources: “Lenders, middlemen threaten returnees from Malaysia,” The Daily Star, 7 April 2008; “5,000 Bangladeshi workers released in Jordan,” The Daily Star, 9 April 2008; “South Korea doubles workers’ quota,” The Daily Star, 16 April 2008; BSS, “Employment in Saudi Arabia on rise,” The New Nation, 17 April 2008; “President seeks clemency for 8 Bangladeshis,” The Daily Star, 17 April 2008; “Windows of employment for Bangladeshis opening up in Canada: Adviser,” The Daily Star, 18 April 2008; Porimol Palma, “Forged ‘photocopy visas’ being used to cheat job seekers,” The Daily Star, 19 April 2008; “42 fortune-seekers back home empty-handed,” The Daily Star, 24 April 2008; “45 held on return from Malaysia,” The Daily Star, 27 April 2008