Editorial
Unorganised state of the remittance sector
Giving it an institutional shape is imperative
The root causes of the overseas migrant workers' plight have again come to the fore through a study conducted by the UN body ESCAP.
Since the entire process from getting job offers in the overseas markets to preparing visas, contract papers and various travel documents is controlled by the manpower recruiting agencies and middlemen, the migrant workers have to pay through the nose at every step. They cannot recover from the huge debt they incur before getting the job and fail to repay it even after completing their contract period. In consequence, the workers overstay causing annoyance to host governments.
The outcome has been very unfortunate. Countries like Malaysia and Kuwait have already stopped recruiting workers from Bangladesh while Saudi Arabia, another big destination of our migrant workers, has cut down their demand for workers from Bangladesh. Such action by the host governments pose declining prospect for foreign exchange remittance inflow to the country.
In absence of a strong institutional mechanism to monitor the recruiting process and look after the welfare of the migrant workers after they land in their workplaces abroad, manpower agents and middlemen driven by profit motive and greed jump in to cash in on the situation.
It is unacceptable that a sector of the economy that provides its hard currency basket with a major chunk of the earning is still largely unorganised. What is the function of the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry, if it is not to bring the sector under discipline?
While the role of private initiatives in exploring job opportunities abroad cannot be underestimated, it is time government stepped in and provided an institutional framework to oversee the whole process from the recruitment phase until the migrant workers join their work abroad. Capacity building in skill development tailored to overseas demand should be high on the government's agenda.
At the same time, our missions abroad should be strengthened to properly look after the welfare of the expatriate workers. They should do so of their own volition, rather than waiting to be approached.
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