Rising number of migrant workers falling prey to fraudulence

As Bangladesh continues to witness a surge in the number of workers seeking employment abroad, an increasing number are falling victim to various forms of fraudulence, including wage theft, fake job offers, and irregular employment.

Within the first six months of 2023, a staggering 1,112 migrants and aspiring migrants, 58% male and the rest female, have lodged complaints against recruiting agencies, middlemen, or employers, as per the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Stakeholders have expressed concern that if the current flow of labour migration continues, the number of complaints may potentially double by the end of this year.

Migration experts said the actual number of complaints is much higher than those formally submitted to the authority, as a considerable number of migrants or aspirant migrants do not lodge complaints officially.

Additionally, numerous allegations have been resolved at the grassroots level through rural arbitration, facilitated by NGOs, they said.

Bangladesh sent 6.17 lakh workers abroad till June this year. In 2022, the number was 11.35 lakh, as per the BMET.

The fraudulence faced by migrants in destination countries includes not getting promised jobs, irregular jobs, fake companies, irregular payment, wage theft, and physical torture.

Many aspiring migrants also encounter irregularities within their home country including being scammed by middlemen, who promise to help them migrate but then fail to deliver after taking the money, and being forced into human trafficking under the guise of labour migration.

For example, migrant aspirant Md Rohmot from Cumilla paid around Tk2 lakh to a middleman named to go to Vietnam in March 2020.

He obtained a BMET clearance card through a recruiting agency. However, the agency was unable to send him to his destination country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When he requested his money back, both the agency and the middleman refused.

In January 2022, Rohmot filed a complaint with the BMET against the agency. However, he has yet to receive his money back after more than one arbitration at the BMET.

According to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, at least 200 Bangladeshis were recruited by a few fake companies in Malaysia this year. With the help of the high commission, they were later able to find jobs in other companies.

According to BBS data, Bangladeshi migrants spent 2.6 times the government-fixed amount for Saudi Arabia, 2.5 times for Malaysia, and 2.2 times for Singapore.

Recruiting agencies in the country claim that most of the complaints filed by migrant workers are false.

Mohammed Abul Bashar, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), told The Business Standard, "I will not say that none of the allegations are true. However, 80% of them are false."

"A circle has been formed around the BMET with the support of some NGOs that manipulate migrants or their relatives to file false complaints. They make money from the agencies through this," he said.

"In response to our demands, Bangladeshi embassies abroad will now issue new job demand letters only after proper verification of worker attestation. This will help to reduce fraud," he added.

Md Shahidul Alam, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), said there may be a correlation between the rising number of migrants going abroad and the increase in complaints.

"In the past, employers in Saudi Arabia used to hire workers directly. However, outsourcing businesses have recently been appointed, which could lead to these issues," he said.

"We have focused on quickly resolving complaints by involving more employees. We have also created a mechanism for filing complaints at the district employment office," he added.

Regarding the accusations that NGOs file false complaints, he said, "More than half of the complaints we receive are genuine. As a result, we cannot blame the NGOs or the migrants in general. Rather, sometimes it becomes difficult for the workers to provide proof."

How the complaints are settled

Md Farid, a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, recently lodged a complaint with the BMET through his wife against a recruiting agency.

He was promised a specific job before going abroad, but upon arrival, he was assigned the role of an attendant under the same employer. The job is not regular and he does not get payment regularly.

Following a hearing at the BMET office, with the presence of the representative from the recruiting agency, the authority granted a two-week period for further proceedings.

The BMET officials have instructed the agency to provide all relevant documents, including the Iqama (work permit) of the worker, during the next hearing.

The agency's representative has assured the authorities that they will address the issue promptly by communicating with the employer in Saudi Arabia to resolve the matter.

In the first six months of this year, the BMET has successfully resolved 459 complaints, resulting in Tk3.33 crore being awarded as compensation to the victims.

Last year saw the settlement of 339 cases out of 1,240 complaints, with a compensation amount of Tk1.60 crore collected from recruiting agencies.

When asked about the relatively lower ratio of settled complaints, a BMET official told TBS that the time required to resolve each allegation plays a significant role. Many of the cases settled this year were submitted in previous years.

In addition to the BMET's efforts, the "Ovibashi Odhikar Forum", a network comprising 113 local and national NGOs, plays a crucial role in settling various allegations at the grassroots level.

Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of the Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants (WARBE) Development Foundation, said, "We attempt to resolve complaints that are not associated with recruiting agencies through rural arbitration. If the issue is related to the recruiters, we forward those complaints to the BMET office."

"We discovered that the majority of the cases were related to high migration costs," he said.

Syed Saiful Haque said, "The government should focus on sending quality workers rather than just sending a large number of workers. They should also investigate the illegal visa trade in the recruitment system and take action against those involved."

"Trained and skilled workers are less likely to be subjected to physical abuse. Therefore, women workers should be sent with more training," he added.