RIYADH, 13 April 2005 — Bangladesh will streamline its recruitment procedures to avoid problems faced by its nationals who land here without confirmed jobs, a Bangladeshi minister said here yesterday.
“Workers sent by some unscrupulous agents in Dhaka do not get jobs here because the vacancies for such jobs do not exist. Hence, their legal sponsors in the Kingdom are unable to provide them with employment,” the State Minister For Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Maj. (Retired) Mohammed Qamarul Islam told Arab News yesterday. The minister, who was on a four-day official visit to the Kingdom, said Bangladeshi workers who pay huge amount of money to the agents in Bangladesh for employment here do not get confirmed jobs on arrival and hence are compelled to do odd jobs not only to earn their livelihood but also to recover the expenses incurred in coming to the Kingdom.
Out of the country’s 3.5 million Bangladeshi overseas workers, some 1.2 million are in the Kingdom.
“We are concerned about the hapless workers who become victims of the unscrupulous agents who only care for money.” There are only 70 active agents out of 670 recruiting bodies registered in Dhaka, he added. The agents involved in this racket will be severely dealt with, the minister said. He pointed out that none of his countrymen was nabbed for criminal offenses during the recent police raids in the capital, “Those caught were Umrah overstayers,” he added.
During his talks with the Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the Bangladeshi minister said his government was keen to supply skilled personnel who have undergone adequate training in carpentry, welding, masonry and IT. Islam added that more than 6,000 women were willing to come to the Kingdom to work in Saudi homes as domestic aides.
He sought the assistance of Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM) to establish centers in Bangladesh for training workers who are selected for employment in the Kingdom. “These centers can conduct orientation programs for the workers to help them acclimatize with the social, cultural and work environment in the Kingdom.
SANARCOM Chairman Waleed Al-Swaidan told Arab News that his organization would cooperate with the Bangladesh authorities in setting up centers to provide training to would-be women domestic aides. He said that private sector establishments would recruit 6,000 maids during the next two months and more would be recruited depending on their availability.
As to the welfare measures adopted by the government, the minister said his ministry has made arrangements at the airport to receive its overseas workers with dignity.
“They are welcomed as guests at the airport and are allowed to go through the Green Channel to pass through Customs. They are also provided transport to facilitate their journey to their respective home stations.”
In recognition of the services rendered by the overseas workers who remit foreign exchange to their country, the minister said, the workers are given plots of land to construct their houses. “A total of 3,500 plots have already been given and several more projects will be undertaken in other parts of the country,” he added.
