BAIRA stages fresh protests, renews 10-point demand
Around one million Bangladeshi workers migrate abroad each year through BAIRA-linked agencies, contributing an average of $24 billion in annual remittance.
Members of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) today (24 November) formed a human chain in front of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), reiterating their 10-point demand, including resolving complications faced by recruiting agencies and easing the clearance process.
BAIRA members said they had earlier staged a human chain on 10 November, but the authorities did not heed their demands. Even after two weeks, no solution has been offered, they added.
They noted that around one million Bangladeshi workers migrate abroad each year through BAIRA-linked agencies, contributing an average of $24 billion in annual remittance.
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Last fiscal year, this amount exceeded $30 billion. However, increasing complexities in recent years have made overseas employment more difficult, potentially posing a major risk to future remittance inflow.
Md Mohiuddin, member secretary of the Combined Alliance for Protecting Labour Market and Ensuring BAIRA Members' Rights, said legal labour migration is being linked to the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, while several sections of the Migration Act unfairly compare regular migration with human trafficking. As a result, recruiting agencies face recurrent complications in licence renewal and exit-clearance procedures.
He said some provisions introduced in Saudi Arabia's migration policy contradict the interests of Bangladesh's labour market.
"There is no alternative to restoring the previous system of individual exit-clearance for workers in Saudi Arabia," he added.
Protesters alleged that licences of 43 recruiting agencies were cancelled without justification, while a Tk50 lakh security deposit has been made mandatory for licence approval. If this decision is not reversed, the entire recruiting sector may collapse, they warned.
BAIRA members also demanded that recruiting agencies be officially enlisted with all embassies, including Saudi Arabia, and called for the cancellation of the single-licence system for sending workers to foreign job markets.
They warned of tougher programmes if their demands are not met soon.
