Zero cost in M'sia, Saravanan says no control over migrant source countries
He said Malaysia has enforced a "zero-cost policy" for all migrant workers, including new recruits from Bangladesh to come in after the latest memorandum of understanding signed last December.
"Zero cost policy has been...
Malaysia has no control over any costs incurred by migrant workers in source countries prior to their arrivals and employment here, said Human Resources Minister M Saravanan today.
He said Malaysia has enforced a "zero-cost policy" for all migrant workers, including new recruits from Bangladesh to come in after the latest memorandum of understanding signed last December.
"Zero cost policy has been (in place) all this while, and it’s not because of what I said.
"According to the rules, any employers bringing migrant workers into the country must bear all costs in terms of flight, accommodation and others, not the workers are made to pay.
"But in their countries, their agents will handle. Nothing to do with us.
"I got no right to issue any directive there (in Bangladesh) or other source countries," stressed Saravanan at a press conference after a function hosted by Social Security Organisation (Socso) in Kuala Lumpur.
Saravanan said this when asked to clarify his statement first made to Bangladesh journalists in Dhaka yesterday, following a Joint Working Group meeting with his counterpart, Bangladesh's Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad.
Saravanan also warned that any employers found to recoup payments made for workers through salary deductions will risk termination of their hiring quota.
"We have an application for workers to directly reach the ministry and the moment there is a complaint we will terminate their quota," he added.
Recruitment costs
Citing industry sources, Bangladeshi newspaper The Business Post reported on Wednesday that recruitment costs would go up from 120,000 Bangladeshi Taka (RM5,900) per person to 450,000 Bangladeshi Taka (RM22,200) if the syndication of labour agencies is allowed to control the market.
The report did not specify where the latest payments would be collected, but issues surrounding Bangladeshi workers trapped in debt bondage have long been attributed as an element of forced labour.
In denying reports of protests against Malaysia, Saravanan said he received a warm welcome from all parties, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed.
"I was well-received by Dhaka. In fact, in 24 hours, I met with four ministers, including the prime minister.
"It's the best welcome that any minister can receive," he said.
On the number of agencies approved to send workers here, Saravanan revealed that Bangladesh has set a condition for Malaysia to select the final list of 25 approved agencies.
"There's only one condition from Bangladesh, that we must select the 25 agencies from a list provided.
"They provided us with a list of 1,520 agencies and from there a committee was formed at the (human resources) ministry level. The committee has scrutinised the list and selected 25 agencies. That is the process," he added.
The 1,520 agencies comprise Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) members that had raised concerns over alleged syndication of the market, a claim which Saravanan had previously denied.
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