Business Desk :
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud has acknowledged that there were powerful people involved with 25 recruiting agencies, who are now trying to create a syndicate in sending manpower to Malaysian labour market with a view to monopolise the business.
“They are putting pressure on the prime minister to create a syndicate. But that will not happen because the premier will not agree,” said Mahmud, also a former minister, while addressing a roundtable discussion in the anti-syndicate grand alliance of BAIRA in the capital on Saturday.
After a long time and efforts, he said, Malaysia reopened its labour market to Bangladeshi workers six months ago.
But due to the syndicate’s ill-efforts, sending labour to the Southeast Asian country could not be started even today.
“Those who are in favour of syndicate, they are against our nation.”
Mahmud said if the syndicate is able to establish control in the business, the migration cost will increase a lot and poor migrants will suffer ultimately.
He called on the members of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) to take a strong stand against the syndication.
At the discussion, BAIRA former president Mohd Noor Ali said there are more than 1,500 recruiting agencies in the country.
“Only 25 agencies will not be able to send 15-20 lakh people per year as per Malaysian demand. If this is syndicated, the cost of migration will be more compared to the last time. It will take at least two years (for a migrant worker) to cover the cost,” he said.
He also requested the prime minister to take strong action against the corrupt people involved with the syndicate.
Former FBCCI president AK Azad, MP Shamim Haider Patwary, former BAIRA president Abul Bashar, Golam Mostafa, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, among others, spoke at the event.
