Expatriate woes
THOUGH Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries, it has some achievements as a nation, like the language movement, liberation war, and the participation of the armed forces in UN missions.
Bangladesh is overpopulated, and manpower is its wealth. Many Bangladeshis live and work in many countries in various capacities, with much appreciation and success. Some have even invented and discovered many new things, and earned world acclaim. Wherever they work and whatever work they do, they deserve due honour and prestige, first as Bangladeshis and then as human beings. Dishonouring them is a serous crime.
The Kuwaiti government announced that it would deport Bangladeshi workers involved in violence during the recent unrest over low pay. South Asian workers in Kuwait, including hundreds of Bangladeshi, staged demonstrations and went on strike demanding better working standards and pay. Newspapers in the Gulf kingdom reported that some workers are paid as little as KD8, amounting to Tk.2000 a month. The Kuwaiti government said that it would increase the minimum salary to KD40, or Tk.10,000.
However, Kuwaiti authorities announced they would examine video footage and photographs of protesting workers to find out those responsible for damaging vehicles and attacking the police. Kuwaiti police arrested 800 Bangladeshi workers during the demonstrations, of whom 300 were released. Kuwaiti government assured the Bangladeshi mission that all innocent workers would be spared after investigation.
This situation is the result of labour unrest which had remained suppressed. Some harrowing tales follow, which are simply crimes against humanity. In some cases some workers were withdrawn from jobs without any reason or prior notice. They were kept idle for several months without salary. Workers who speak out their grievances are invariably victimised and deported. The supervisors, foremen and managers abuse and beat them up, and if the matter is reported to the Arab bosses, they even kick them. Though they were promised KD50, they were paid KD18 a month.
Some of them are forced to work 16 hours a day without overtime payment, and KD5 per day are deducted if someone fails to turn up due to illness. The company compels them to buy plane tickets from a certain travel agency which charges exorbitant fares. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, labour councilor in the Bangladesh embassy said: "Many workers could not go on leave over the last 8 or 10 years as the company didn't allow them to." Even if a worker is granted leave for returning home, the company charges KD30 as security money, but it is never given back. Many workers are forced to sign job contacts that are different from the ones they signed before their arrival.
Bangladesh army personnel have achieved international fame and acclamation. They are honoured wherever they work as peace-keeping forces. On the other hand, Bangladeshi workers have been seriously humiliated outside the country. Our government must give due consideration to the fact that labour and garments are flourishing and promising industries, and are contributing to our national economy considerably. They must come within the purview of the government's top priority.
What do the people in our missions do, except routine work? Active, capable, innovative, courageous and patriotic people must be posted in the foreign missions. For the last two decades, with some possible exceptions, these appointments were done purely on political grounds. Every tier of the state machinery has been vitiated by nasty political games.
It is a common allegation that Bangladeshi missions don't bother about what Bangladeshis do outside the country. Whenever anybody faces any problem, the mission hardly comes to his help. This attitude must be drastically changed. When Bangladeshi workers are humiliated and harassed by Kuwaiti police, how can the Bangladesh mission sleep? These workers represent our dear motherland. Their disgrace means disgrace for the whole nation. It seems that Bangladeshi missions are not bothered by this. What kind of patriotic feeling do they hold in their bosoms?
Battered by employees and cheated by agents, 45 Bangladeshi workers returned from Malaysia on August 11 after staying there for over one year. The returnees spent over Tk.2 lakhs each to get an overseas job. The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia did not address their issues, and they had to leave the dreamland.
The IMA Research Foundation at Dhaka organised a conference where many cheated workers narrated their bitter experiences in Malaysia. One said that he went to Malaysia in a group of 40 through a recruiting agency named Mark Overseas in July last year and was employed in a plastic company in Kelang at monthly RM700. "We were told that we would work 12 hours a day but we had to work 18-20 hours. In case of a mistake, the Chinese boss would beat us up."
The workers were given work targets, and if anyone failed to fulfil it the boss used to hit him. 15 workers fled the company in less than a month as they could no longer endure the torture. "We told our agent Kamal of Vital Manpower in Malaysia that we could not tolerate the torture anymore. After two months he withdrew us and promised us alternative jobs," said another worker. But Kamal took them to a hotel and disappeared.
These kinds of incidents are taking place regularly, but the response of the Bangladeshi missions is disheartening. They don't address the human rights abuse issue or bother about the welfare of the workers, rather they sometimes treat them like slaves.
Middle Eastern countries imported workers from third world countries in the 1970s and 80s, and paid them comparatively handsome salaries. To meet the increasing demand for manpower many recruiting agencies have sprung up. Very weak government controlling system and corrupt officials have made avenues for exercising illegal ways and rules. The victims are the workers who sell their land to procure the money for going abroad.
The ministry of expatriate affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have regular meetings with the foreign employees, recruiting agencies working in Bangladesh and their branches aboard. They must have regular meetings with the workers, who are far away from their near and dear ones. This will boost the workers' morale. All the rules and regulations must be announced in the news media. The people in our missions actually do not know where, how and when our workers are sent aboard, nor where they work and in what situation. They must shoulder a huge responsibility when they are in foreign missions.
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