Editorial
Migrant workers' rights
Country's growth prospects depend on how we uphold them
There has never been dearth of reports, comments and recommendations on the plight of Bangladeshi migrant workers, but in spite of all these, there is hardly any palpable difference in their condition. And the reason for this has to do with the lack of a holistic approach to the matter. At best there have been piecemeal, ad-hoc and fragmentary measures that have done little to resolve the problems that beset the manpower export sector.
It is unfortunate but true that the workers' travails start from the time they put in their papers at home and continue till such time they return home, most of them worse off than when they had left. Given that this is the sector that contributes the most to our foreign exchange coffer, lack of substantive action on the part of the government is unacceptable.
It is not merely a matter of identifying the racket at home and in the receiving countries, as averred to recently by the foreign minister. And surely, the cost of getting jobs abroad must be made less, but that is only a part of the problem. In this regard one may ask as to what has happened to the idea of providing bank loans to those seeking employment abroad so that they do not have to sell their last possession and be left at the mercy of some dubious manpower agent and money lenders.
What about the pay and perks that are promised to our workers only to find after landing that they have become victims of deceit of a fraud network? There is nexus between the home and foreign operatives that give our workers a raw deal at both the ends, and something must be done to put an end to this.
There is indeed an urgent need to gear up our missions abroad, but we wonder whether merely revamping the missions without a clear guideline from home and strict oversight and coordinated action by the relevant ministries would help ameliorate the sufferings of our migrant workers. If the oft repeated complaints of the workers that our missions are not very labour friendly are to be given credence, then it is the mindset of our diplomats that needs to be changed.
It is thus a case of approaching the issue in a holistic manner and we can think of no other ministry than the Ministry of Expatriate Affairs to play the part of the coordinating body to synchronise the efforts of the labour, commerce and the foreign ministries in this regard. It was precisely for this purpose that this ministry was formed and we are not convinced that it has lived up to our expectation.
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