Dhaka signs MoU with Malaysia to send Bangladeshi workers

Bangladesh has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysia Sunday to resume sending workers to the Southeast Asian country.

Bangladesh's Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad and Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister Seri M Saravanan signed the MoU on behalf of the respective coutries.

High officials of both countries were present at the time.

Earlier, a high-powered team led by Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad left Dhaka for Kualalampur on Saturday night to sign the MoU.

The minister and his team reached the Malaysian airport at 5 am today. Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Golam Sarwar, Labor Councilor Zahirul Islam, Labor Councilor (Second) Hedayatul Islam Mandal and Malaysia Awami League and community leaders welcomed them.

On December 10, Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister Seri M Saravanan invited Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad to his country for signing the MoU.

Sources at the ministry have confirmed that two countries have brought some changes in the MoU.

Major changes, including provision of G to G Plus method,  are not be mentioned, Malaysian recruiting agencies are added and employees will have compulsory insurance facilities.

Besides, according to the new MoU, the employer will bear the cost and arrangements for the repatriation of the workers and the Malaysian recruiting agency will also have to take responsibility for the employees during the contract period.

The workers aged between 18 to 45 years will be able to go to Malaysia under this MoU, said the source.

Lifting its moratorium on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, Malaysian cabinet decided to sign a MoU with Bangladesh on December 10 to hire workers.

It is to be mentioned that Malaysia suspended hiring Bangladeshi workers in September, 2018 over widespread allegations of malpractice in the recruitment process and charging higher cost from labourers by recruitment agencies through middlemen.

The government there also announced that it would launch a new policy restricting excessive charge and harassment of labourers.

Since then, two countries formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) and Bangladesh held a series of meetings with the Malaysian government demanding an early reopening of the labour market.