Call to ensure zero cost for overseas job
David Arkless speaking at a roundtable on migrant workers jointly organised by UK-based Institute for Human Rights and Business and Dhaka University's Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the city yesterday. On his right are CR Abrar, John Morrision, and Khurshed Alam Chowdhury. Photo: STAR
Global apparel brand operators are demanding transparent recruitment practices that require zero cost for migrant workers to get overseas jobs to ensure labour protection and better productivity. In the overseas labour recruitment process, migrants have to pay hefty sums to brokers and other parties that makes the workers debt slave and vulnerable to exploitation, said researchers and brand operators, adding that they are not responsible for such situation, but often get bad names. So, these malpractices must be stopped, while it should be made sure that the employers pay all the necessary charges to hire foreign workers, said officials of apparel brand operators. UK-based Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) of Dhaka University organised the roundtable on "Responsible Recruitment, Responsible Return: Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in the Apparel Sector" at a city hotel yesterday. Officials of the government, representatives of the brands like Arcadia, ASDA/George, Bestseller, CMT, Gap, Inditex, Levi, M&S, Next and Nike, labour rights groups, researchers and recruitment agencies were present at the event. The idea of the event is engaging the governments, recruitment agencies and civil society groups to help rooting out the malpractices for welfare of migrants, RMMRU Executive Director Profr CR Abrar told The Daily Star. The apparel brand operators, which buy products from the factories in Asian or other countries, observe that too often they have bad names from media or other quarters who say the brand operators do not pay the workers or pay less, he said. "We need to have a common set of principles for migrant workers," said IHRB Programmes Director Frances House. It is generally said that migrants do 3-D (dirty, dangerous and demeaning) jobs -- a definition that should be reversed, said Frances. "We need to introduce a different 3-D approach that includes dignity of individuals, decency of work and due diligence of process." Frances also suggested that brand operators and employers need to look at the whole process -- starting from the recruitment to return of the migrant workers. Arcadia Group's head of supplier management Derek Mackay said they have made sure the foreign workers no more pay for flights when they are recruited for the factories in Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates, which are making clothes for Arcadia. Recruitment agencies' fee is also paid by the factories, he said, adding that they are looking at all aspects -- visible and invisible problems of the workers in the factories, said Derek. David Arkless, vice-president elect of International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies, said globally it is the general rule the employers will bear all the costs to hire workers from wherever they are. The government should have strong regulations banning any charges paid by the workers, he said, adding that the countries like Bangladesh must immediately sign bilateral deals with the labour-receiving countries on fair recruitment practices and strongly enforce those. Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) Senior Vice-president Reazul-ul-Islam said migration cost is high mainly because of the employers demanding commissions for recruitment. A global initiative is required to make sure that the employers do not charge commissions, he said. Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training Director General Khurshed Alam Chowdhury and John Morrison of IHRB also spoke.
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