Greece will recruit 4,000 workers a year from Bangladesh and they will receive a temporary work permit for five years.
The European country will now receive workers in the agriculture sector and increase the number of receiving workers gradually based on the demand of other sectors. These workers, however, have to return home mandatorily after the five-year work permit expires.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Bangladesh and Greece to this end at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday, said a press release issued by the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry in Dhaka.
Expatriates' welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmed and Greece minister of migration and asylum Panagiotis Mitarakis signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.
After signing the MoU, the Greece minister told the newspersons the MoU would be implemented soon through the approval of the Hellenic parliament. Though Bangladeshi migrants are hardworking, they lose everything falling into the trap of human traffickers. The interest of the workers would be protected by this agreement, he added.
Citing this is the first MoU on oversees employment between any European country and Bangladesh, minister Imran Ahmed said the agreement would enable Bangladeshi workers to go to Greece safely and work there legally.
Employers would bear the migration cost of the worker following the finalisation of workers recruitment from Bangladesh. Everyone has to be alert so that no worker falls victim to cheating by manpower agent or fraudster, he added.
According to the press release, Bangladeshi workers will have to submit legal travel documents, work contract, insurance claim documents during application and bear the fixed fees and expenses. Besides, Bangladeshi expatiates in Greece will also get the opportunity to work legally there gradually.
Expatriates' welfare and overseas employment secretary Ahmed Munirus Saleheen and Greece secretary general of migration policy Patroklos Georgiadis were present at the signing ceremony.