Editorial
Diplomatic offensive in defence of migrant workers
Adequate compensation for workers must be ensured
MINISTER of State for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud has been making the right noises about the future of Bangladeshi and other migrant workers. He has just told a conference organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Geneva that countries which decide to do away with the services of migrant workers should pay them adequate compensation before sending them home. The minister has also made the very valid point that till a disposal of employment-related issues in foreign countries, workers who are ordered to leave those countries must be given a reasonable period of time for them to seek and collect their unpaid wages.
It is encouraging that Bangladesh has launched a diplomatic initiative in defence of the rights of its workers abroad. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has been in Malaysia while Commerce Minister Faruk Khan was holding parleys with the UAE authorities in Abu Dhabi. Overseas Employment Minister Khondokar Mosharraf Hossain has travelled from Geneva to Kuala Lumpur. These forays certainly hold up stark images of the crisis that Bangladesh has lately been facing where its migrant labour force is concerned. Apart from Malaysia, our workers have come back home from such countries as Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as a result of the current global recession. While the reality of the recession cannot be ignored, what surely can be avoided is the propensity of dismissing foreign workers and sending them home peremptorily. It is a simple matter of human rights involved here, considering that when nations go for a sacking of workers, they first go after the foreigners without making any guarantees that these workers will go back home with due compensation. Of course, the Kuala Lumpur authorities have assured Dr. Dipu Moni of all possible cooperation regarding hiring and keeping Bangladeshi workers which is good tiding.
We had argued earlier that an international regulatory mechanism designed to protect the rights of migrant workers should come into play. We reiterate our position because we feel that the time is here and now for such a step to be taken.
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