Md. Shah Alam :
The recruitment agencies in Bangladesh seem notorious for their exploitative practices, posing significant obstacles for unemployed youths who aspire to work abroad for a better life.
hese agencies often operate as syndicates, prioritising their financial gains over the welfare of their clients.
In the global labour market, Malaysia has a huge potential for us, due to syndicates involved over the past 15 years, the labour market in Malaysia has been closed three times, with allegations of irregularities, corruption, and bribery.
In September 2018, due to corruption and irregularities, the labour market in Malaysia was closed, but even after reopening in 2022, the same syndicate resurfaced.
The most disheartening aspect is that these syndicates are powerful and effective across all regimes, as supported directly and indirectly by high-ranking officials. Their influence is so strong that they are virtually untouchable.
For instance, when the Malaysian market reopened for Bangladeshi workers in August 2022, both governments agreed that the maximum cost for the entire process should be 78,990 BDT.
However, the syndicates charged workers between 500,000 to 600,000 taka, and in some cases, even more.
Until May 31 this year, Dhaka’s Shahjalal Airport was overwhelmed with crowds of workers trying to depart for Malaysia at the last moment.
Despite receiving visas and spending several hundred thousand takas, nearly 31,000 Bangladeshis fail to travel to Malaysia.
This huge number of visa holders could not be sent even with the arrangement of several special flights.
These workers, exhausted of their resources and taken on debt, were left in despair at the airport.
Over the past year and a half, the closure of the Malaysian route, which had seen nearly 500,000 workers travel, has dealt a significant blow to Bangladesh’s labor market abroad.
According to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), after being closed for four years, the Malaysian labour market was reopened in 2022 through various efforts.
Following this, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment approved 524,946 workers for Malaysia based on demand letters received from Malaysia.
However, in March, Malaysia announced that they would temporarily stop accepting workers and those who had received approval and visas had to enter Malaysia by May 31.
Most recently, the Malaysian authorities announced that only passengers on flights departing from Dhaka before midnight on May 31 would be accepted as workers.
No flights departing after midnight would be approved. By midnight, 494,102 workers had managed to reach Malaysia. Consequently, 30,844 Bangladeshi workers with visas and approvals were unable to travel to Malaysia.
Recruitment agencies report that since Malaysia reopened its labor market, flight ticket prices have skyrocketed.
With entry announced for May 31st, tickets, initially priced at over 20,000 taka, are now selling for over 100,000 taka, leaving many unable to secure tickets despite week-long efforts.
Special flights have been arranged by the government, but the delay has caused significant hardships for workers and agencies alike.
Malaysia’s labor market has faced closures and reopenings over the years, with the latest halt impacting Bangladeshi workers.
The Malaysian government plans to introduce new quotas and resume recruitment from all source countries, including Bangladesh, in the second half of 2024.
Since August 2022 until May of this year, approximately 4,766,672 Bangladeshi workers have been recruited to Malaysia for employment, with syndicates siphoning off more than $1 billion from Bangladesh.
There are 14 countries from which workers are sent to Malaysia, including Bangladesh. However, there are no syndicates from any other country except Bangladesh.
Therefore, the government should analyse the cost of migration to Malaysia. Nothing will happen if Bangladesh rejects sending people through syndicates.
It’s not just Malaysia; already, recruitment agencies are pocketing millions of dollars by sending workers to many countries, including Italy. Even Italy’s labour market is now under threat.
Hazanah Md. Hashim, the appointed Malaysian High Commissioner in Dhaka, has held syndicates from both countries responsible for the harassment and suffering of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.
Mentioning the plight of migrant workers, the High Commissioner stated, “One of the reasons we are facing this problem is because of syndicates, active both here (in Bangladesh) and in Malaysia.”
However, some recommendations need to be implemented to address this issue effectively.
1. Thorough Investigations and Prosecutions: Both Bangladesh and Malaysia should conduct thorough investigations into the operations of these syndicates and prosecute those responsible for exploitation, corruption, and other illegal activities. This requires cooperation between law enforcement agencies in both countries to dismantle the syndicates and hold their members accountable.
2. Government Oversight and Regulation: The governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia should implement stricter oversight and regulation of the recruitment process for overseas employment. This includes setting transparent guidelines for recruitment agencies, monitoring their activities closely, and imposing severe penalties for violations.
3. Collaborative Efforts: Both countries should work together to address the root causes of syndicate activity, including corruption and collusion with high-ranking officials. This may involve bilateral agreements, joint task forces, and information sharing to combat syndicates’ influence effectively.
4. Empowering Workers: Empowering workers with knowledge of their rights, providing access to legal assistance, and establishing support mechanisms can help them resist exploitation and report abuses by syndicates.
5. International Cooperation: Bangladesh can seek support from international organisations and other countries facing similar challenges in combating human trafficking and labour exploitation. Sharing best practices and coordinating efforts can enhance the effectiveness of interventions.
By implementing these measures, Bangladesh and Malaysia can work together to dismantle syndicates, protect labour rights and ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process for overseas employment. These inhumane syndicates should immediately be shut down and brought within the bounds of the law.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor at Chittagong University and a PhD researcher on Rohingya Refugees
at IIUM, Malaysia).