Staff Reporter :
Dr. Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, announced on Saturday that Malaysia has agreed to accept 18,000 Bangladeshi workers who missed the May 31 deadline to enter the country.
“Now, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare will work with our Malaysian counterparts to create a roadmap for sending these workers as soon as possible,” Nazrul said at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) held at the Probashi Kallyan Building in Dhaka.
The event was presided over by Ministry Secretary Md. Ruhul Amin. The agreement was signed between Bangladesh’s Wage Earners’ Welfare Board and Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation (PERKESO). Md. Hamidur Rahman, Director General of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board, and PERKESO’s Group CEO, Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohammed Azman bin Aziz Mohammad, signed the MoC.
Starting from January 23, 2010, all legally migrated Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia will be covered under the Foreign Workers Compensation Scheme (FWCS), which includes protections such as medical facilities, temporary and permanent disablement benefits, dependents’ compensation, funeral expenses, and rehabilitation support through Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation.
Dr. Asif Nazrul praised expatriates for their significant contribution to Bangladesh’s socio-economic development, emphasising, “When our expatriates live and work abroad, they represent Bangladesh. Each worker carries the flag of our nation.”
He further stressed the importance of ensuring the welfare and protection of expatriates and their families. “Beyond their economic contributions, expatriates play a leading role in social development, both abroad and at home. Their proper evaluation, and the safeguarding of their well-being, must be ensured,” he added.
Nazrul affirmed that the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board, under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, is committed to supporting and protecting expatriate workers and their families. He noted that the new agreement with Malaysia represents another step toward ensuring the welfare of Bangladeshi migrant workers abroad.