Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia turn undocumented as they change jobs

This paper on Sunday published a special story over the agony of undocumented Bangladeshi migrant workers who are staying in Malaysia. The report focused on workers who are now victims of circumstances. Blaming the local manpower agents for their miseries, the undocumented workers also asked all Malaysia-bound workers to make sure their migration costs match their wages before they fly. The interested job seekers had to pay hard-earned money to get a job each, prepare passports, arrange visas, buy plane tickets and pay the agent’s commission. Whereas the migration costs for each worker should not be more than Tk 1.65 lakh as per a recent agreement signed between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur, the cost reportedly hikes up to Tk 4 lakh for each one to reach Malaysia.
But the most significant thing is most of the workers were actually cheated by the local agents from the very beginning. None of them had any idea what their salary ceiling was in that country. They went there blindly believing the words of local man-exporters, and in the end they were tragically befooled. If the workers had any prior idea that their wages were not more than one thousand Ringgits, which is Tk 20,000 in Bangladeshi currency per month, then they could have decided not to go. With this small monthly remuneration it is almost impossible to recover their investment even after a decade. Actually, they cannot even save a small amount of money after paying for house rent, food, medicines and other costs. Most of them are also unable to remit money to their families who arranged the cost of migration by taking loans at high interest rates or selling landed properties at low prices.
Seeing no other way, at one stage sufferer workers leave their companies to earn more money. And with this, they unwillingly invite danger of turning into undocumented foreign workers for breaching the law. Taking jobs in companies other than those employing them without approval of Malaysian authorities is unlawful. Even if they manage to get jobs, they get less salaries than documented workers. It is the main reason behind many Bangladeshis workers becoming undocumented in large numbers. We’re surprised that relevant government departments haven’t taken any initiative to stop the bad practice of the manpower agents of inflating migration costs of workers despite having enough information. We are told it’s a syndicated business. So, poor people’s sufferings never reach their ears. But this practice must stop.