Saudi not giving visas to male workers: Baira

Saudi Arabia is refusing visas for Bangladeshi male workers showing failure of recruitment agencies to provide female workers, alleged manpower exporters of the country today.

"Since Tuesday, the Saudi embassy imposed 25 percent female quota. It is a violation of agreement between our governments," Ruhul Amin, secretary general of Bangladesh Agencies of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) told The Daily Star this evening.

On average, the embassy gives around 600 to 700 visas a day; but the figure has drastically reduced 400 to 500 a day since Tuesday, he added.

"We informed matter to the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment through a letter," Ruhul Amin said.

The Saudi government has always pushed Bangladesh to send female workers since an agreement was inked last year February, implying in conversations that otherwise male workers would not be hired, although they never put it in writing.

Bangladesh has sent over 75,000 female migrants to Saudi Arabia soon after the signing of the agreement from last year's April to November 17, according to statistics of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

"The Saudi government should issue at least 1.5 lakh male workers' visas against the females we have sent to their country. Unfortunately, they didn't do that rather they are now imposing illogical conditions on us," Ruhul Amin said, adding they will not accept this condition.

However, it was not possible to communicate with the Saudi embassy as the concerned official could not be reached over mobile phone or e-mail.