Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said the Oman government is being very accommodating towards Bangladeshi workers who are there illegally.
“We have discussed the issue of illegal migrant workers in Oman during our recent visit to the country,” the minister told reporters, at a briefing at the ministry yesterday.
Responding to a query about illegal Bangladeshi workers in Oman, the ministry turned to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training’s (BMET) director general Begum Shamsun Nahar, who also echoed Mosharraf Hossain’s words, and confirmed: “There are some illegal Bangladeshi workers in Oman.”
According to an official of the expatriates’ welfare ministry who recently said during the Bangladesh delegation’s visit to Oman, the government of Oman stated there are 50,000 to 60,000 illegal Bangladeshi workers, but the ministry is reported to have evaded the issue deliberately.
However, a senior official who accompanied the delegation expressed his concern that Bangladesh might lose access to the labour market in Oman just like in Malaysia if workers continue to stay there illegally.
The minister said Oman is now the recipient of the largest numbers of Bangladeshi labourers with 544,000 workers currently working there. He added 500 to 1,000 workers from Bangladesh are going to Oman daily.
“We have held bilateral meetings with Oman’s labour, communications, health and agriculture ministers,” said Mosharraf Hossain, adding Oman also wants to recruit around 400 to 500 doctors from Bangladesh.
The doctors, he saids would be sent through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).
Oman is also said to be interested in importing medicine because Bangladesh produces high quality medicine, the minister stated.
Terming Saudi Arabia’s amnesty for Bangladeshi workers a step towards the reopening of the Saudi labour market, Mosharraf said, “We will increase manpower and sanction money to strengthen the labour wing in Saudi Arabia so that Bangladeshi workers can seize the opportunity”.
He said the illegal workers would have the opportunity to return home without having to face penalties and return to Saudi Arabia.
The minister said the Saudi labour market was closed due to the high migration costs involved, with migrant workers having to spent Tk700,000-800,000 to go to the kingdom for work. So when they cannot recover the money they spend, they overstay to earn the money back. Consequently the labour market of Saudi Arabia was closed to Bangladeshi workers.
“We will in no way allow any third party to be involved in the recruitment process,” the expatriates’ welfare minister said. Adding that manpower will be sent under an arrangement between the government of Bangladesh with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman. The cost of migration will be low, he stated, “It won’t require more than Tk20,000 to go to those countries.”
