PETALING JAYA |Employers who collect any form of payment from Bangladeshi workers after they arrive here will have their quotas cancelled, human resources minister M Saravanan has warned.
Speaking to Bangladeshi reporters after the joint working committee meeting to finalise the recruitment procedures in Dhaka earlier today, he said Malaysia would honour the zero-cost agreement.
“Bangladeshi workers will arrive in Malaysia without having to pay anything. All costs including airfare, levy and medical fees will be borne by the employers. We will cancel the quotas of employers who collect any money from them after their arrival,” he said, adding that they are expecting to bring in 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over a period of time.
He said Bangladesh expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Imran Ahmad had expressed concern over the treatment of their workers and he had assured the Bangladesh government of their wellbeing.
Asked on the controversial Malaysian request to appoint only 25 of the 1,300-odd recruitment agencies in Bangladesh for the recruitment, he said this was Malaysia’s call and the Cabinet would decide on this. “It’s ours, we will decide.”
Earlier this morning, representatives of the anti-syndicate group who wanted Malaysia to allow all agencies to recruit workers, staged a protest with banners opposing the 25-agency limit.
Saravanan also assured Bangladesh that it would provide its workers all that they need and will adhere to international standards in the recruitment of foreign labour.
“We have given them our assurances and told them about the measures we are taking.
“We also spoke about how Bangladeshi workers will be taken care of, from housing, salary, to social needs. All this will be put on record in the joint committee meeting,” he said.
Saravanan said both nations were in “dire need”, with Malaysia needing foreign labour, while Dhaka had an excess of workers to be sent to the country.
