Editorial
Expatriate workers' rights violated
Take further steps to redress their situation
We are worried at the news of 500 female Bangladeshi garment workers at the Maintrend International factory in Jordan returning home before the expiry of their job contracts. The owners abruptly decided to shut down the factory late last month following a series of strikes allegedly by Chinese, Indian and Jordanian workers. But skilled Bangladeshi workers have had to bear the brunt of whatever consequences there ensued. Worse still, the female workers who were only seven months into their contracts, were not offered any compensation whatsoever, except being paid the airfare for returning home. When contacted, nor the Jordanian authorities would allow the affected workers to move to other factories. This is a gross violation of their rights as workers.
For all we know, the state-owned recruiting agency Bangladesh Overseas Employment Services Limited (BOESL) was responsible for sending the female workers under a contract. Despite all their efforts in collaboration with the officials of Bangladesh embassy in Jordan, no compensation could be realized for the female workers, though, they are continuing efforts to make good for the male workers who had been there for several years and are now similarly laid off.
In view of the present situation in Jordan, we would expect BOESL to take prompt action so that the returnees are either rehabilitated or sent to other countries immediately for secure jobs. We would also suggest the authorities to roll up their sleeves to ensure that our expatriate workers enjoy all their contractual rights under watch of our respective missions in host countries.
Ever since the Arab Spring swept across the Middle Eastern countries, our expatriate workers have been facing uncertainties. But with the Jordanian incident it seems there might be some other reasons than the Arab upsurge for our workers being deprived of job security.
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