Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said some 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh will be taken to Malaysia in stages over three years to meet the demands of employers from various sectors.
“We expect to sign the agreement in the month of Shawal (after July 17) in Dhaka. These workers will be involved in various fields, especially in the plantation sector, and will meet the demands of the job market in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
“However, this initiative only involves fresh workers from Bangladesh. Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants working here are not eligible and we will continue to deport them,” he said at a press conference at Alor Gajah on Thursday, Malaysian news agency Bernama reported.
Ahmad Zahid said the Bangladeshi workers to be taken to Malaysia would be trained in Bangladesh to become semi-skilled workers to meet specific requirements of employers in Malaysia.
The employers will be subjected to four conditions to hire Bangladeshi workers: they must be given insurance coverage, centralised housing, adequate protection, and their salary should be paid via banks.
