KSA Travel Advisory: Ministry doing little to address workers’ plight

Bangladeshis are facing huge obstacles to joining work in Saudi Arabia following a travel advisory from the Middle Eastern country. The expatriates' welfare ministry has not yet taken any visible steps to address their issues.

Besides, expatriate workers alleged that Biman Bangladesh Airlines did not cooperate with them to ensure their journey, and also kept suspending flights, which ultimately aggravate their sufferings.

The challenges appeared after the Saudi Arabia issued a fresh travel advisory effective from May 20 for citizens of non-restricted countries, including Bangladesh. It sought medical insurance for Covid-19 and hotel reservations for institutional quarantine.

Following this, different recruiting agencies wrote to the ministry seeking support to address the problems of Saudi Arabia-bound migrant workers, said leaders of platforms.

The ministry, however, is yet to respond, they said.

They also blamed Biman for delaying in taking necessary measures complying with the advisory.

In its latest advisory, the Saudi authorities said violators shall be deported and banned indefinitely from entering the country.

Due to the latest directive, about 6,500 migrant workers have been facing uncertainty regarding their travel to Saudi Arabia.

Besides, it caused many migrant workers to spend additionally about Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000 to ensure institutional quarantine in the Gulf country.

Recruiting Agency Friends Associates (RAFA) and Sommilito Somonnoy Front, (Baira) separately submitted applications to the minister, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, on May 23 demanding financial support centering huge expenses of Saudi-bound expatriate workers to stay in quarantine and to carry out Covid-19 tests.

The two organisations also demanded that the government priorities vaccinating expatriate workers going abroad. In that case, the Saudi-bound migrant workers might be exempted from staying in mandatory institutional quarantine in hotel.

RAFA in its application said due to the huge prices of air tickets, recruiting agencies and the workers have already become seriously affected.

The two organisations said it would take Tk 55,000 to Tk 70,000 to bear the cost of staying in hotel for seven days' quarantine.

Under these circumstances, the two organisations said it has become impossible for many expatriate workers to gather the money and go abroad despite completing all other procedures including having visas and tickets.

They said several hundred crore take are remaining idle in the wage earners welfare fund. They demanded that the government in coordination with the respective embassy adjust the expenses of hotel cost through the welfare fund.

Several thousand Saudi-bound Bangladeshi migrant workers are facing untold sufferings due to new travel advisory of Saudi Arabia that requires medical insurance that covers the risk of Covid-19 infections and hotel reservations for institutional quarantine.

Talking to The Daily Star in the last two day at the Saudia office at city's Karwan Bazar, Saudi-bound expatriate worker said they need to spend Tk around 65,000 to Tk 70,000 to comply with the new conditions.

Following the fresh travel advisory that came into effect on May 20, Biman Bangladesh Airlines was forced to suspend all its 18 weekly fights to Saudi Arabia for nine days since May 20 saying they need time to make arrangements to comply with the fresh travel advisory.

Sources said Saudi authorities issued the travel advisory on May 10 which came into effect on May 20, meaning Biman got at least 11 days to make arrangements to comply with the advisory.

Talking to The Daily Star, several Saudi-bound workers said it's just insincerity on the part of Biman that it took so much time to make necessary arrangements.

For instance, they said, Saudi Arabian Airlines didn't suspend even a single flight following issuance of the new advisory. On the other hand, the national flag carrier of Bangladesh suspended its all flights for nine days.

Several thousand expatriate workers who failed to travel to Saudi Arabia due to suspension of Biman flights said they are in fear that their visas would expire if they fail to return to their workplaces in Saudi Arabia on time.

According to the advisory, all travelers arriving in the KSA shall be undergone seven days institutional quarantine (except those who are exempted mentioned above) at own expenses and shall complete a PCR test on day 1 and on day-7. Children under the age of eight are exempted from the test.

The reservation of the institutional quarantine shall be through the respective airlines.

It says airlines shall contracted medical care centers to perform the two PCR tests all travelers at institutional quarantine facilities and facilitate the transportation of all travelers.

A top official of Biman said they have informed its offices concerned about the conditions imposed by the Saudi government. "Our officers there are trying to manage hotels."

"We are trying to figure out how cheap we can get these hotels. It takes some time to do these," he said.

Saudi Arabia is the largest manpower export market for Bangladesh. At least 26 lakh expatriates are working in different sectors in the country.

Despite repeated attempts yesterday, this newspaper could not contact the secretary to the expatriates' welfare ministry for comments.