Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the decision was
made as no Bangladeshi has reported for work although many applications for
work permits were received and approved by his ministry.
<p>With the freeze, a total of RM29,375,920 in levies collected from interested
parties would be reimbursed, he told reporters after his ministry’s post-Cabinet
meeting, Wednesday.</p>
<p>Since Aug 1, some 466 applications were received from employers while another
514 applications were made through outsourcing involving 21,988 workers.</p>
<p>Radzi said he would give Bangladesh’s employment agencies until Oct 20 to register
new workers here.</p>
<p>"If they fail to do that, we will withdraw the approval of the applications,"
he said.</p>
<p>The recruitment of Bangladeshi workers was first frozen in 1998 because of
the many social problems they caused in the country.</p>
<p>Radzi said the outsourcing system did not interest Bangladesh’s foreign workers
agencies under the umbrella of the Bangladeshi Association of International
Recruiting Agency (Bahra).</p>
<p>Thus, the agencies ignored the conditions set and sent the workers to Malaysia
according to their own schedules.</p>
<p>Bahra has hundreds of companies or employment agencies that have offices here
and in Dhaka.</p>
<p>Radzi said the freeze was also aimed at protecting Bangladeshi workers from
falling prey to unscrupulous agencies that used delaying tactics to get a higher
levy.</p>
<p>"Each Bangladeshi worker has to pay RM5,000 including the levy to come
to Malaysia. Employment agencies receive RM300 from each Bangladeshi worker
for services rendered, an amount considered low by them.</p>
<p>Malaysia has a total of 1.8 million registered foreign workers.– BERNAMA
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