Dispute erupts as Baira protests BMET’s shift to online exit clearance
During the protest, an altercation broke out between members of Baira – an association of recruiting agencies – and BMET officials and staff, resulting in heated arguments and scuffles
A dispute erupted at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET) today (5 March) as members of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) protested against the sudden shift to an online-only system for exit clearance applications.
During the protest, an altercation broke out between members of Baira – an association of recruiting agencies – and BMET officials and staff, resulting in heated arguments and scuffles.
Baira members started their protest at 11:30am over the refusal to accept direct exit clearance applications for Saudi Arabia and other countries.
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Following the commotion, a delegation of around 30 recruiting agency members, led by Baira's former joint secretary Fakhrul Islam, entered the office of BMET Director General Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar for discussions.
Speaking at the protest, Fakhrul said, "There have been repeated issues with BMET clearances. Today, they have refused to accept any applications."
"Suddenly, they are asking us to submit all files online without accepting any manual submissions. Any new directive requires a reasonable transition period, but some BMET officials are creating an artificial crisis," he added.
Recruiting agency representatives complained that BMET had unexpectedly imposed an authentication requirement for Saudi visas.
The recruiting agencies expressed frustration over the sudden change, stating that prior notice, at least a month earlier, would have allowed them to prepare.
Previously, they could submit 40 to 50 applications daily, but under the new system, only one application per agency is being accepted online.
Delwar Hossain, an employee of the agency Brothers Manpower Service, said, "Since yesterday, BMET has stopped accepting manual applications for clearance. Now, they are taking submissions online, but only one per day."
"We have numerous applications pending, and many of our workers have already booked their flight tickets. If we cannot obtain the clearance cards on time, they will miss their flights. BMET should have informed us at least a month earlier so we could have prepared accordingly," he added.
In response, BMET's Additional Director General (Employment) Mohammad Abdul Hai said, "We are in discussions with Baira leaders regarding the issue. A decision will be announced after the meeting."
