Safe migration of workers sought

Speakers at a workshop yesterday urged the government to ensure safe migration of Bangladeshi workers abroad.
They also requested the government to scrutinise the provisions of a memorandum of understanding signed with Malaysia to send workers under state arrangements last year to protect workers' rights.
The workshop on "Labour migration framework in Malaysia: Creating a safe environment for Bangladeshi migrants" was organised by WARBE Development Foundation, an organisation working for migrant workers, in the capital's Brac Centre.
Harun-Ur-Rashid, regional coordinator of CARAM Asia, another such organisation, said the government should ensure safe migration for Bangladeshis in Malaysia, as it was important to ensure their other rights.
WARBE Chairman Syed Saiful Haque said some provisions of the government's MoU with Malaysia were against the workers' rights.
Talking about the MoU, two representatives of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) alleged that Bangladesh would lose the market as the government process had retarded the workers' migration. Hazrat Ali, additional secretary to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, however, denied the allegation.