News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have just inked a labour recruitment agreement, marking the first deal aimed at promoting fair recruitment practices and protecting workers’ rights.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser, Prof. Asif Nazrul, and the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi, recently came together to sign an agreement in Riyadh. This was shared in a statement from the Bangladesh embassy in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has become the largest labor market for Bangladesh, with around 2.5 million Bangladeshis working there. The recruitment of workers from Bangladesh started back in 1976, but interestingly, there wasn’t any formal agreement in place for general worker recruitment at that time.
However, there are two specific agreements worth mentioning: one was signed in 2015 to facilitate the recruitment of domestic workers, and the other, which focuses on skill verification, was established in 2022.
There have been numerous reports of labour abuses, including high recruitment costs, joblessness, underpayment and deportation of Bangladeshi workers.
“It is hoped that through the signing of this agreement, the recruitment of skilled workers in various professions from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia will increase, and the rights and interests of both workers and employers will be better protected,” the statement said.
“This will play a role in further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two brotherly nations,” it added.
Prior to signing the agreement, Asif Nazrul and Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi held a bilateral meeting.
During the meeting, the adviser requested the Saudi minister to ensure that the employers provide the right job contracts to the workers, take full responsibility for paying the fees for work permit renewals, and arrange exits quickly when workers wish to return home.
The Saudi minister instructed relevant parties to take effective steps for the speedy resolution of these issues, while also calling upon Bangladesh to play its role in ensuring safe and fair migration.
They also talked about the challenges of bringing in more skilled workers and boosting collaboration to ensure the well-being and safety of employees.
On hand for the event were Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Delwar Hossain, Deputy Chief of Mission SM Nazmul Hasan, and Labour Counsellor Muhammad Reza-E-Rabbi.
