Staff Reporter :
Baira Syndicate Nirmul Oikkya Jote (BSNOJ), a platform of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) called all in a press briefing to demolish syndication system in sending workers abroad especially in Malaysia.
The leaders of BSNOJ said, the syndicate formed under the structure of the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) followed by the Bangladesh and the Malaysian governments earlier and failed to protect labours’ rights and interests.
“A section of dishonest traders have been trying to form a syndicate to manipulate the business as the Malaysian labour market is near to open after absolving the shock of pandemic,” Ali Haider Chowdhury, Convener of the organization said in a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Auditorium on Sunday.
BAIRA former President Abul Bashar, BSNOJ Member Secretary M Tipu Sultan, Shahadat Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Abul Barakat, Farid Ahmed, Fakhrul Islam, Zahirul Haque, Harunur Rashid, Lima Begum, Mujibur Rahman Mujib, Mozammel Haque, Mosharraf Hossain, Mohammad Ali, Jamil Hossain, Alamgir Hossain, Mohammad Ali and Arifur Rahman, among others, were present.
They strongly asked the government to eliminate the controversial and failed FWCMS method in manpower sector.
To press home the demand, the BSNOJ announced multiple agitation programmes including forming human chain scheduled on Monday. The agitation programme announced ahead of a virtual meeting of the Ministers of manpower affairs in Bangladesh and Malaysia scheduled on February 16.
Ali Haider Chowdhury said, some culprits trying to keep the expired FWCMS method as an agenda in the two ministers’ meeting though the system has been failed in all accounts.
He said Dato Seri Amin, owner of the Bestinet and provider of SPPA system allegedly involved in corruption
and black listed by the then Mahathir Mohammad government is behind the new heinous efforts.
The leaders ask both the government to ensure equal chances to do business for all and cancelling any efforts of forming syndicate.
Ali Haider Chowdhury said, “About 1800 license holder agencies are working in the sector in Bangladesh, among them, about 1200 have renewed their licensees. But the dishonest sections of agencies are trying to form a syndicate again to manipulate business and absorb labours money charging extra and excess fees.”
The leaders said if the government does not permit such syndicate, the labours could go to Malaysia spending only Tk 60,000 per head.
They further said that Nepal, Pakistan and other countries are sending manpower to Malaysia without any syndicate.
BSNOJ leaders said some culprits conducting propaganda involving Bangladesh and Malaysian governments and both countries want syndicate.
“The propagandas are great lies, no government of the two countries demanded syndicate. Earlier the syndicate of 10 agencies cheated government in a very similar way and harmed the manpower market severely,” BSNOJ leaders said.
“Once again they are trying to earn lots charging extra fees and depriving all the agencies staying out of the syndicate,” they said.
