Malaysia, Bangladesh Reach Accord On Workers

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 - Malaysia and Bangladesh today reached an understanding to tighten legislation to ensure that Bangladeshi workers for the Malaysian manufacturing and plantation sectors are not recruited without the availability of jobs for them. Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said Bangladesh had given the assurance that it would enforce legislation strictly to monitor the activities of employment agencies in that country.

"It will look into resolving the issue of workers brought in by agents who end up without jobs in Malaysia," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby, here. Earlier, Subramaniam met with Bangladesh Minister of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and Bangladesh Acting High Commissioner A.S.M. Waisuzzaman at Parliament House.

Subramaniam said their discussions centred on the issue of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia and problems associated with the current global economic challenges. Six million Bangladeshis work abroad, among them 450,000 in Malaysia, he said. Subramaniam said he was informed that Bangladesh constantly monitored the activities of its 8,001 employment agencies to ensure that only the necessary workers were brought out of the country to meet the employment needs abroad.

On the issue of workers' welfare, Subramaniam said the ministry had suggested that Bangladesh contact the Manpower Department directly to resolve the issues more effectively. Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said the government's action on the issue of an abundance of foreign workers in Malaysia was in accordance with the law.

"We still use foreign workers, including from Bangladesh, in the context of the manpower requirements. Both countries have cordial relations and we will ensure that our action is in accordance with the law," he said.