Terming foreign remittance sent by the expatriate Bangladeshis crucial for the country's economy, economists and civil society members yesterday said the government should give the highest priority on skill building of overseas jobseekers and protect their rights abroad.
Criticising the government's inefficiency and indifference towards ensuring workers' rights and just wages and checking fraudulent practices, they suggested formation of a supervisory body on the expatriates instead of running the expatriates' ministry which, they said, has failed to do any welfare for the migrant workers.
The speakers strongly criticised the recent Kuwaiti police attacks on Bangladeshi workers and deportation, saying Bangladesh should seek assistance of the international organisations like ILO and UN Human Rights Council to ensure that the workers get justice.
They said this at a discussion on 'Protection of migrant workers' rights' organised by Nagorik Sanghati and ActionAid at the National Press Club in the city.
Economist Abu Ahmed said, “If our workers did not send around $8 billion a year, we would not see the shopping malls and products here. No investor would come to invest or do business. They are interested to invest or do business because they know Bangladesh Bank has good foreign currency reserve.”
It is said that readymade garment (RMG) is the highest foreign exchange earner, but actually it is not, because the sector has to import a lot of raw materials, he said.
“Bangladesh could not survive if our workers would not work abroad and send money,” added Abu Ahmed, prof of Dhaka University.
Awami League Central Committee Education and Human Resources Secretary Nurul Islam Nahid said the expatriates' welfare or foreign ministries are not actually playing their due role for workers' welfare.
“I called on all the political parties to raise their voices about expatriate workers' issue. I will also discuss it with my own party,” he said.
Former ambassador Major General (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury said there are many flaws in the documentation process for the Bangladeshi workers, adding, “Many documents carried by our workers remain flawed.”
“On the other hand, our foreign ministry considers handling workers' issues secondarily. The officials of the Bangladesh missions don't feel like visiting the workers,” he said.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) President Ghulam Mustafa said strengthening the labour wings of Bangladesh missions is a crucial task to protect overseas workers.
Terming manpower brokers a major problem for the migrant workers, he said the brokers trading on visas should be resisted in cooperation with the Bangladesh missions.
Seeking pardon on behalf of the recruiting agencies for the recent woes of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, he said a step in harness with the government and recruiting agencies should be taken to compensate the workers deported from Kuwait following recent strikes in Kuwait.
“Bangladesh is a country of tremendous potential for its youth manpower. To impart timely and modern technical education, the government should set up technical training centres at every upazila,” Ghulam Mustafa said.
DU Prof Robaet Ferdous said, “We should have a master plan to send at least one person abroad for jobs from 3 crore families in next 20 years.”
Another DU Prof Hafizur Rahman Karzon said major part of the country's diplomacy should be economic and labour diplomacy, not political one. “Our diplomatic strength must be developed.”
There are also not bilateral agreements with many countries hiring workers from Bangladesh, he said, adding that such agreements help ensure workers' rights. He suggested seeking assistance of ILO and UN Human Rights Council to protect workers' rights abroad.
Journalist Raju Ahmed in his keynote said Bangladesh embassies' attitude towards workers should be changed and the corrupt officials should be punished.
BSS Managing Director Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury also spoke at the discussion moderated by Nagorik Sanghati General Secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif with DU Prof Dr ASM Atiqur Rahman in the chair.