Labour market: Hapless workers lose all vying to go to Malaysia

Some have mortgaged their land and some have sold their cows, vying to go to Malaysia. Some borrowed from the bank. Others borrowed from their friends and relatives. Their dream was to get a well-paid job in Malaysia and improve their family's living standards. But their dreams have been dashed to the ground, not being able to go to Malaysia within the stipulated time.

Thousands of crestfallen persons returned home yesterday, Saturday, from the Hazrat Shahjalal Airport in Dhaka.

These people who had turned up at the airport to go to Malaysia as workers, have been cheated by the recruiting agencies. They say they have failed to go to Malaysia even after paying the companies Tk 500,000 to 600,000. Some of them failed to manage airline tickets. Some bought tickets at triple the actual price, but failed to go as they did not receive clearance from the concerned company in Malaysia.

Many hurriedly bought airline tickets at high prices and even managed to go to Malaysia. But many of them were detained at the airport there as they did not have the required documentation.

According to the announcement made by the Malaysian government, Friday, 31 May, was the deadline for Bangladeshi workers with valid approval to enter the country. After Friday, for the time being no one with work visas will be able to enter. As a result, thousands of people thronged Dhaka international airport on Friday.

Speaking at an event in Sylhet yesterday, Friday, state minister for expatriate welfare and overseas employment Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury said persons responsible for creating the crisis in sending workers abroad will not be spared.

The embassy and ministry are working to resolve these problems. The state minister said, "We expect that punitive action will be taken against those responsible for creating this crisis. An inquiry committee will be formed in this regard."

Government agencies have no account of how many workers failed to go to Malaysia as they did not get any airline ticket. Even the manpower recruiters' organisation BAIRA (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies) is unable to give any figure in this regard.

BAIRA secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury told Prothom Alo, an effort is being made to get an account of how many workers failed to go to Malaysia even after completing all due procedures. After that, discussions will be held with the expatriate welfare ministry to see what can be done about these aggrieved workers.

However, reliable sources in the ministry for expatriate welfare and overseas employment and the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) confirm that 31,304 workers were held up due to visa and approval complications. They say that before sending workers overseas, the recruiting agencies have to get approval from the expatriate welfare and overseas employment ministry. This time after the Malaysian labour market opened up, 101 agencies took approval to send 524,946 workers. But final approval from Malaysia was not availed for all the workers. That is why finally BMET issued 493,642 clearance certificates for all agencies in total.

Concerned persons say that a worker on average pays 544,000 taka to go to Malaysia. With airline ticket prices going up towards the end, this cost went up too. But those who did not get approval, paid the full amount to the agencies, other than the airfare. That means 31,304 workers have each paid millions of taka to the agencies.

Outside of that, many other workers have been cheated after paying money to go to Malaysia. Sources say that once the labour marker restarted, many began the process to go to Malaysia. They arranged for their passports, underwent medical checkups and so on. They all made down payment through agencies or middlemen. These payments have no receipts. No one has any accurate account of how many such aspiring migrant workers there are.

Joint secretary general of BAIRA Fakhrul Islam told Prothom Alo, there may be around 40,000 such aggrieved workers. If the workers deposit money, the agencies should pay back the entire amount. The government can come forward to recover the money of those who have paid middlemen.

The Malaysian labour market first closed down in 2009 due to allegations of syndicates being formed and irregularities in sending workers. After that, the labour market reopened towards the end of 2016. Then 10 recruiting agencies in Bangladesh created a syndicate. On grounds of corruption and irregularities, the Malaysian labour market closed its doors once again in September 2018.

After being closed for four years, Malaysia's labour market in 2022 opened up again for Bangladeshis. Yet again a syndicate was formed. In this context, last March Malaysia said that they would not take any more workers from Bangladesh and a few other countries for the time being.

Farmer Habibur Rahman of Singra, Natore, owned 16 decimals of land and four cows. A year ago he mortgaged that land for 100,000 taka. He sold the cows for 450,000 taka. He handed over this 550,000 taka to an agency in Paltan in the capital Dhaka.

Habibur came to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka four day ago. Unable to go to Malaysia, yesterday, Friday, he checked into a hotel near the airport. Speaking over mobile phone yesterday, he told Prothom Alo, "I have contacted the people of the company. They are assuring me that they will sent us through another country to Malaysia. But Malaysia is not going to take in any more people, so I don't understand how they are going to send me."

Many others say that the companies to whom they have paid money, are no longer answering the phone. Many even went to the offices, only to find the offices locked.

Chairperson of the community-based migration organisation  Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP), Shakirul Islam, yesterday told Prothom Alo that so many people could not go even after paying money. The recruiting agencies must take responsibility for this. It is the government that must ensure this.

* This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir