Manpower recruiters seek time for paying security money
Additionally, they have demanded to extend the payment period of the Tk50,000 bail fee by a year
Manpower recruitment agencies have sought an extension of the deadline for depositing security money for one more year due to the pandemic-induced financial crisis.
Additionally, they have demanded an extension of the payment period for the Tk50,000 bail fee by a year.
A section of recruiting agencies pressed the demands at a press conference under the banner of Joint Coordination Front, BAIRA at Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) Wednesday.
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They had formally applied to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment on Monday to this effect.
The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) keeps the security money from manpower recruiters while giving recruiting licences to them.
However, the ministry last year returned 50% of the security money to agencies so that they could handle the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ministry had issued an order in April 2020 in this regard following which the money was returned to the recruiters without any interest for one year.
The decision of returning the money was then taken by the ministry following a request from the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA).
Joint Coordination Front, BAIRA Secretary General Mostafa Mahmud said, "According to two government orders, recruiting licenses will be suspended if agencies fail to repay the loan and extended bail money by 31 December."
He also said the licences have to be renewed within the same period and an advance income tax of Tk50,000 has to be paid at the time of renewal.
Mahmud said the agencies are unable to pay the loans back as well as the renewal fees because they have been hit the worst during the pandemic.
"Most of the exporters could not operate businesses due to the Covid-19 pandemic," he added.
"The current security deposit for our licence is Tk20 lakh which has increased by Tk50,000," said former Baira secretary-general Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman.
Presently, more than 1,800 manpower recruiting agencies are operating in the country.
