EU Ambassador, Expat Minister discuss safe migration, labor law reforms
Dhaka: Bangladesh is committed to sending workers abroad through legal channels and has adopted a tough stance against irregular migration, said Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury.
He made the remarks during a meeting with EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Bangladesh, Michael Miller, at the ministry in the capital on September 29.
The minister said the government would soon organize a roundtable with migration stakeholders, organizations, and journalists to raise public awareness about legal migration.
He said licenses of 49 recruiting agencies involved in irregular migration and other crimes and irregularities had already been cancelled. Offices of several agencies had also been sealed, while mobile courts had been instructed to take action against those violating the law.
During the meeting, Ambassador Miller said a significant portion of Bangladesh's remittances comes from the European Union.
Referring to the government's target of sending 10 million workers abroad over the next five years, he sought details about the licensing and regulatory process for agencies that send large numbers of workers overseas.
The EU envoy expressed interest in working with the ministry to promote ethical and legal migration and address the trend of workers paying high costs to migrate.
He said the EU would work to facilitate legal pathways for Bangladeshi workers to enter Europe through initiatives such as Talent Partnerships.
Miller also reiterated the EU's continued support for bringing the European Training Foundation to Bangladesh and for the social and economic reintegration of returning migrant workers.
He placed particular emphasis on freedom of association and trade unions under the amended Bangladesh Labour Act, harmonizing the laws governing EPZs with the general labor law, eliminating child labor, and institutionalizing regular factory inspections.
Additional Secretary Md. Saiful Haque Chowdhury said the ministry has established specific criteria for selecting and regulating recruiting agencies.
Several inspection committees have also been formed to conduct field-level inspections of agencies and submit reports, he said.
Referring to ongoing legal migration initiatives with Italy, he urged the EU to undertake projects to raise awareness about safe and legal migration.
He also said the RAISE project, funded by the World Bank for the reintegration of returning migrant workers, remains operational.
