MoU on 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers to be signed within a month, say reports

The government's plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers could soon come to pass. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 9, 2016.Under a newly drafted memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bangladeshi government, Malaysia will soon see the plan for 1.5 million foreign workers recruited over the next three years pushed through, reports said today.

According to Dhaka Tribune, the workers will enter Malaysia under the G2G (Government-to-Government) Plus scheme which allows them employment in construction, service, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

Previously, Bangladeshi workers were only hired for plantations.

News portal bdnews24.com meanwhile quoted Bangladeshi Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam as saying the MoU would likely be signed within a month.

"It is a major achievement of Bangladesh that Malaysia has listed us as a source country [from which to recruit manpower]," he was quoted as saying.

Earlier this year, trade groups expressed concern over the plan, warning that it could be backed by profiteering rather than market demand.

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) said the billion-ringgit foreign labour supplier industry could be influencing the so-called demand for the 1.5 million workers.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi however said the workers would be recruited in stages, and that they were needed in the plantation sector.

He also said their numbers would be tweaked and distributed to other sectors, including manufacturing and construction.

Should the deal be signed, bdnews24.com said the expenses for sending a worker would be Tk34,000-37,000 (RM1,810-RM1,970).

For migration through private recruiters however, Dhaka Tribune said the amount would be TK60,000.

According to bdnews24.com, there are currently about 600,000 Bangladeshis working in Malaysia.

Mohammad Shafiul told Dhaka Tribune there would be no middlemen involved. The Cabinet secretary did not say how much the workers would be paid, but told journalists that their wages would be deposited directly into their bank accounts.

Critics of Putrajaya's labour policies say labour suppliers are gearing up to make a tidy profit from the 1.5 million Bangladeshis, and that the plan to bring in the workers is related to the retrenchment of locals in 2015, a trend which is expected to continue this year. – February 9, 2016.