Licences of 3 agencies cancelled for sending workers to Russia-Ukraine war

Licences of three agencies cancelled for sending workers to Russia-Ukraine war

The government has suspended the licences of three recruiting agencies for sending Bangladeshi youths to Russia under the pretext of employment and forcing them to participate in the Ukraine war. Legal action is also being taken against these agencies, State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque informed parliament.

Responding to a supplementary question from Mymensingh-6 MP Kamrul Hasan during the question-answer session on Monday, June 8, the state minister said, "Thirty workers have been involved in the war in Russia under the guise of employment. Their families have informed us. We have immediately shut down the licences of three recruiting agencies. Legal action is underway against them."

However, the state minister noted that many Bangladeshis involved in the Russia-Ukraine war did not go directly from Bangladesh. "In the case of Russia-Ukraine, some Bangladeshis are getting involved in the war. But they are not going from Bangladesh; they are actually going from third countries. In that case, we have no jurisdiction," he said.

Regarding the Malaysia labour market, the state minister said the government is working to reopen it for Bangladeshi workers. Malaysia is the second-largest labour market for Bangladeshi workers after Saudi Arabia. The adviser and minister of the ministry visited Malaysia from April 8-11, and it is hoped that sending workers to Malaysia will be facilitated very soon.

From July 1 last year to May 31 this year, 933,815 Bangladeshis have gained employment in various countries. The government has set a target of sending around 1.4 million workers abroad next fiscal year.

Diplomatic discussions are ongoing with Malaysia, Oman, the UAE and Bahrain to reopen shrunken labour markets. Additionally, memoranda of understanding have been signed with 18 countries regarding sending workers from Bangladesh.

Responding to a question from Noakhali-6 MP Abdul Hannan Masud, the state minister said there has been an increasing trend of recruiting workers from Bangladesh through fake demand letters by setting up nominal companies abroad.

In many cases, nominal companies are set up in collusion with local or foreign owners to take people from here, he said. "We see that they can give work to 10 people, but they are taking 100. Demand letters sent from abroad are verified by Bangladesh embassies. However, stricter monitoring and verification are needed."

Asked whether interest-free loans would be provided to poor workers going abroad, the state minister said currently collateral-free loans of up to Tk 3 lakh are being provided at 8 per cent interest. There are plans to increase this to Tk 5 lakh. However, there is currently no government scheme for interest-free loans.