Recruiting firms have held the Malaysian government accountable for the emergence of labor syndicates in Bangladesh and the consequent inability to transfer thousands of workers within the allotted time frame.
The announcement was made by leaders of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) on Tuesday during a news conference held at Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall on Minto Road in Dhaka.
The group hosted the meeting on behalf of 101 recruiting agencies to discuss their positions in light of the fact that 16,970 workers—despite having legal visas—were unable to travel to Malaysia by the deadline of May 31.
According to Benjir Ahmed, a current lawmaker and former president of BAIRA, they did not travel to Malaysia in order to sway the agency selection procedure. The Malaysian government chose the hiring firms in the first round, excluding three lawmakers’ firms.
This time, they also chose the agencies. It was not our intention to lobby there. I have no idea who performed it. There will be legal action taken if anyone, no matter who they are, engages in corruption and irregularities, he declared.
The proprietor of a recruiting agency and politician Nizam Uddin Hazari refuted the existence of labor syndicates. “The term syndicate does not exist. By the grace of Allah, we were inadvertently chosen by the Malaysian government’s agency.
Additionally, he denied any role in the labor recruitment and visa trading allegations, stating that he was just in charge of processing.
Lt. Gen. (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a different member of parliament, was present at the event but remained silent.
According to BAIRA President Abul Bashar, Malaysia was given the authority to choose recruitment agencies by two countries under an agreement. Members of parliament own shares in several of the chosen agencies. They are entitled to conduct business as well.
According to Ali Haidar Chowdhury, secretary general of the association, there were no plots by lawmakers to establish syndicates. After Malaysia finalized the agencies, 101 agencies total—including MP agencies—were chosen.
They pointed the finger at the Malaysian government for the disarray in the process, claiming that if the country had stopped issuing visas on May 15, there would not have been as much pressure.
It was not possible to estimate the true number of migrant workers and plan additional planes appropriately. He clarified that although some of the workers received visas on May 30, there were no plans to move them to Malaysia.
