HC demands action on 17,777 stranded workers’ fate
Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Sunday pressed the government for answers regarding the fate of 17,777 Bangladeshi workers who, despite completing all formalities, were ultimately unable to travel to Malaysia due to failures attributed to local recruiting agencies.
During a hearing on Sunday, the High Court directed the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, along with other relevant authorities, to submit a comprehensive report by 27 August detailing the actions taken against the responsible agencies.
The bench, comprised of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf, also demanded clarification on whether the affected workers had been refunded the significant sums they had paid, and what steps, if any, were being pursued to facilitate their potential deployment to Malaysia.
The court’s directive followed a submission by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare earlier that day, in which it admitted that the recruiting agencies were to blame for the failure to send the workers abroad.
The scandal, which has left thousands of aspiring migrant workers in financial and emotional turmoil, erupted after Malaysia, a major destination for Bangladeshi labourers, reopened its job market in August 2022.
Bangladesh had initially secured an impressive labour quota of over 532,000 from Malaysia. As of 2024, approximately 476,000 workers had successfully made their way to the Southeast Asian nation.
However, a sizeable group of 17,777 workers missed the opportunity due to the agencies’ failure to provide air tickets before Malaysia’s strict 31 May deadline.
The court’s scrutiny arises from a public interest writ petition filed in the aftermath of the controversy. On 24 June last year, the High Court had issued a rule asking why the authorities’ inaction, which effectively shattered the hopes and livelihoods of thousands, should not be declared illegal.
It had also questioned why the government should not be compelled to ensure full refunds, with interest, to the aggrieved workers. Further, the court had ordered the authorities to submit progress reports every three months – a directive meant to maintain transparency in the resolution process.
In an earlier development, the authorities had directed the implicated recruiting agencies to refund the workers by 18 July. However, it remains unclear how much of that directive has been fulfilled, leading to the renewed judicial intervention.
Md Tanvir Ahmed and Biplob Kumar Poddar, who represented the petitioners during Saturday’s hearing, underscored the deep distress suffered by the workers. Many of the victims had sold land, taken loans, or exhausted their savings to meet the recruitment costs, only to be left stranded.”