Bangladeshis pay more

WHY must Bangladeshi expatriate workers pay through the nose to secure foreign jobs? That is what the latest study by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) has unveiled. According to the report the average Bangladeshi migrant worker seeking employment in Qatar is paying US$2,685 to the recruiting agency whilst a Sri Lankan worker pays half that much. This is like highway robbery. The scenario is more or less the same across the board for most international labour destinations for our workers. The fact is that our recruitment industry is largely unregulated and the authorities have little say in the manner in which workers are charged for foreign employment opportunities.

Looking at quality of services rendered by Bangladeshi workers, the study finds that skill levels of our workers are lower than those in major competing countries. Once abroad, Bangladeshi workers are also left at the mercy of employers whilst labour officers of other countries like Sri Lanka provide its workers with a wide range of facilities like protection from exploitation and other assistance.

While we profess our love for our expatriate workers and the precious foreign exchange they remit as a national effort, we do little to honour their sacrifice abroad. That our poor economic migrants are being fleeced is not an acceptable situation. The authorities need to set guidelines for fees and these have to be enforced so that greater numbers of people can avail employment opportunities in international labour destinations. A failure to do so will only be to our collective detriment.