The New Nation - Internet Edition

Syful Islam

Bangladesh has huge potentials to export manpower to new European member states if it can stop migration of the workers from those countries to the rich nations, stakeholders say.

"The new European countries are big manpower market for Bangladesh. Those have demands of Bangladeshi workers. Some of the Bangladeshi workers left Romania for other rich member states of the EU after going there with job visa. This is casting negative image for the country," said Majibur Rahman Murad, owner of recruiting agency Al-Abbas International.

Al-Abbas International is the lone recruiting agency that is sending workers to Eastern European country Romania. Till now it sent 700 skilled workers especially in the field of garment and construction, salary ranging from US$ 300 to US$375. They have demand of sending another 400 workers.

With inclusion of 12 more countries the members of European Union now stands at 27. Between 2004 and 2007 the EU has included Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia as new members.

After inclusion in the EU as member the rich countries has opened window for workers of these new member countries and giving them extra preference in providing job. Workers of these countries are getting more salary than workers from other countries. As a result workers of these countries leaving for the rich EU nations creating room for workers from last developed countries.

Bangladeshi recruiting agents already started to explore the new markets and a handful numbers of skilled and unskilled workers already went to those countries to earn their livelihoods.

But some of the Bangladeshi workers recently started to leave the New EU members states for the other rich EU nations to earn more money.

"They are leaving those countries for other rich countries to earn more money. If a worker can go to European rich countries they can earn ranging from US$ 1000 to US$1500 a month," said Majibur Rahman Murad.

Bangladeshi recruiting agents' fear that the country may lose the new manpower markets if it fails to stop such migration of workers. Besides, it may become tough for Bangladesh to enter the market of the rich nations.

"We may lose the new manpower markets for this illegal movement of workers. We have to stop it by any means," Murad said.

Meanwhile, a view exchange meeting with the parents of the workers who are now working in Romania has been arranged to stop migration of them to other EU countries. Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Director General of Bureau of Manpower and Expatriate Training (BMET) Abdul Malek and president of Bangladesh Association of International recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Golam Mustafa will speak in the meeting.