Agitation for damages halted

Nineteen Bangladeshi workers, who returned from Iraq being cheated by recruiting agencies, yesterday postponed their agitation programme till August 10, and issued an ultimatum to the government to take initiatives to compel the responsible agencies to compensate them by this time.
“We have decided to withdraw our agitation temporarily. But we will go for tougher movement if our demand is not met by the deadline,” Mozammel Haque, one of the returnees, told The Daily Star.
Returning empty-handed from Iraq, the workers began their agitation programme on Sunday in front of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment in the capital.
They resumed their agitation in front of the ministry yesterday morning, but withdrew the programme at noon.
The protesters also submitted a written letter to the expatriates' welfare minister and urged him to take action to fulfill their demand. The minister's personal assistant received the letter.
“We have been cheated by the recruiting agencies. Now, we are demanding our money back,” Mozammel said.
Between January and March last year, four recruiting agencies sent a total of 27 Bangladeshis including these 19 to Iraq to work for the M Kodia Company General Trading Company promising them lucrative salaries.
But their Iraqi employer failed to start his construction project and kept them in a camp for 10 months without any work and salary, restricting their movement.
Later, the government brought 22 workers back home in November last year and February this year.
Although two recruiting agencies compensated three workers, the remaining 19 are yet to receive any compensation.