Private agencies to send workers again

Bangladesh and Malaysia are likely to sign a deal today, allowing the private sector to recruit Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, according to the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment minister.

"We are discussing the scope of manpower recruitment to Malaysia by the private sector," Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam told reporters after a meeting with a six-member Malaysian delegation at Probashi Kalayan Bhaban yesterday morning.

Presently, Bangladeshi workers go to Malaysia through the government-to-government system (G2G), which was signed in November 2012. However, under this system only 10,000 workers have so far been sent to Malaysia in the plantation sector.

Due to the G2G's slow pace, the two countries are working towards the G2G Plus to speed up recruitment, ministry officials said. The private recruitment system is likely to be called G2G Plus, they added.

Recruitment has been slow because Malaysia has yet to open other job sectors like construction or services to Bangladeshis.

Under the G2G Plus system, Malaysia will also open other job sectors like construction, manufacturing and services, ministry officials said.

Talking with The Daily Star about the modalities of G2G Plus, the minister said, "The details of sending workers under the G2G Plus system will be finalised after our discussion ends with the Malaysian delegation."

He said that now a worker spends only TK 36,000 under the G2G to work in the plantation sector in Malaysia, but he will have to spend around Tk 60,000 under the new agreement.

The Malaysian delegation, led by its human resources ministry secretary general Saripuddin Bin Hj Kasim, yesterday also took part in a meeting of the Joint Working Committee where the Bangladesh side was led by expatriates' welfare ministry secretary Khandker Md Iftekhar Haider.