The State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Foreign Employment, Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury, announced that recruiting agencies responsible for the failed deployment of 17,000 workers to Malaysia have been ordered to refund the money within 15 days.
During a discussion at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the minister highlighted that an investigation revealed 100 recruiting agencies were at fault. The number of workers each agency failed to send varied, with some agencies unable to send as few as 10 and others as many as 500. In collaboration with the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), it was acknowledged that the agencies had taken money but failed to fulfill their obligations.
Choudhury emphasized, “Our priority is to return the money to the affected workers. I have asked for the refunds to be made within 15 days. Legal action will be taken against those who fail to comply. No one will be exempted. We will focus on recovering the money first.”
The minister also mentioned that once the refunds are processed, these workers will be given priority when Malaysia resumes hiring. A joint working group meeting with Malaysia is scheduled for the end of the month to reopen the pathway for sending workers.
Choudhury further explained, “We will monitor how much money is recovered within 15 days and take measures against those who fail to pay or show reluctance. Employers in Malaysia have also delayed demands in some cases, and many have received visas late. Our main objective is to refund the workers’ money and provide them with employment, either in Malaysia or other countries.”
This directive aims to ensure that affected workers receive their money back promptly and that proper measures are in place to prevent such issues in the future.
