The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar on Saturday underscored the need for formulating Code of Conduct for manpower agency to help establish discipline in the sector and secure appointment, migration, jobs and wages of Bangladeshi workers abroad.

In order to build a strong skilled workforce, they also emphasized on setting up a Vocational Training Institute based on international standard syllabus designed as per the requirements of the companies in different countries.

They were speaking at a seminar titled "Current Status of Local Manpower Business: Present and Future," on the third day of a three-day First NRB Manpower Development and Opportunities Conference 2009.

Scholars Bangladesh and Human Capital Development Limited jointly organized the conference with cooperation of Pubali Bank Limited at Hotel Sheraton here.

President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agency (BAIRA) Golam Mustafa presented keynote paper.

Chairman of UNIQUE Group Noor Ali chaired the function.

Among others, Prof Tasneem Siddiqui, founding President of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, Secretary General of BAIRA, Mohammad Kaisarul Haque of CW Institute, Canada, spoke.

Noor Ali said, the Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) are contributing a lot to the national economy and the country could avail huge opportunity of exporting large number of skill manpower. There is a scope of exporting huge manpower to Canada, and for this a strong marketing drive is required, he added.

He urged BAIRA leaders to play much strong role in creating opinion to aware people through media coverage by opening various wings including a media wing.

Emphasising on the need for changing the attitude of the concerned government officials regarding manpower export, he said while formulating policy decisions on manpower exports, the government should involve experts in the sector.

Mishandling by officials often create obstacles in manpower export, he said adding that during 2005, the Bangladesh government signed a deal with Korean government for exporting 18,000 manpower on Government to Government (G to G) basis, it was possible to export only 1,900 workers.

"The failure of exporting 16,100 workers to Korea costs a loss of Taka 161 crore annually," Ali added.

Prof Tasneem Siddiqui said, over the last five years, on average, 300,000 people migrated from Bangladesh annually as short term contract workers.

Migrants continue to face hardships at home and in destination countries, she said adding unscrupulous recruitment practices have led to high costs, fraudulent practices and pauperisation of a section of migrant workers.

She said, in destination countries, due to the arbitrariness of the employers and discriminatory policies of receiving states many migrants face exploitation and loss of rights in the form of low and irregular wages, bad working conditions and restrictions on their movements.

Mentioning that 70 percent migrants go to abroad for jobs through official channel, while the rest avail informal channels, she said, the middlemen in the sector should be brought under the official system.

Regarding high migration costs, she said, BAIRS has to find out the reasons of high costs and highlight it to the government so that the government could solve the problem.

She said, the cost of migration in India, Pakistan and Nepal ranges from US$ 700 to US$ 15000, while it is US$ 3,000 in Bangladesh.