Editorial
Workers returning from Malaysia
Why hired hands are not getting work permits?
IT is disconcerting news that over 12,000 Bangladeshi job-seekers have returned from Malaysia in the seven months after being cheated or denied the opportunity to work there by their Malaysian employers. On an average, around 40 Bangladeshis, who could not procure the work permit are returning home every day.
It is not clear why the Malaysian employers hired the workers whom they could not finally give jobs. The worldwide recession is cited as the cause behind the decision to send back the surplus workers. But reports indicate that the workers were recruited in the last three years and it is evident that the Malaysian authorities could not foresee the situation that has arisen now. Clearly, the hiring process was flawed or least not based on the real requirements of the employers. But they have opted for the simple, yet rather ruthless solution of sending the workers back home empty-handed in most cases.
Similar problems have cropped up between Bangladesh and some other countries. And the government is also reported to have adopted some measures to keep the situation under control. But it seems matters are a bit too complex when it comes to Malaysia. The job-seekers are being cheated regularly while the recruiters and brokers are shouldering no responsibility. Our mission in Malaysia and those in other host countries have to act energetically in protecting the interest of our job-seekers usually ending up stranded in foreign lands with virtually nobody coming to their rescue. The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment has to look into the matter with a view to putting an end to the sufferings of our citizens. In particular, it should initiate a dialogue with the Malaysian authorities and find out why this problem of the job-seekers being swindled persists. The areas where things are going wrong must be detected immediately and remedial action taken.
It is a sad truth that our workers whose contribution to the national economy is huge are often cheated by brokers and recruiters. The measures adopted so far have not been effective enough to protect the poor workers. It is a more than a question of protecting some workers, it is a matter of streamlining the whole business of sending workers abroad without exposing them to hazards like being abandoned by their future employers.
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