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Malaysia-Bangladesh labour talks must address cartel issues, says ex-MP

Top officials from Bangladesh are set to hold talks with human resources minister Steven Sim and senior ministry officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss reopening the labour market to Bangladeshi workers. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Malaysia and Bangladesh must discuss putting an end to cartels in the labour recruitment market when officials from the two countries hold a special three-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur beginning tomorrow, a former MP said. Charles Santiago, the former MP for Klang, said the current system and processes must be reformed, especially the way recruitment agents allegedly linked to cartels operate, by charging fees as high as RM20,000 for Bangladeshi workers to work in Malaysia. Charles Santiago. 'Let's not rush into reopening a broken door. Fix the house first. I caution against reopening the Malaysia-Bangladesh labour market without real reforms. 'The current system breeds corruption, exploitation and debt bondage. We must not go back to business as usual,' he told FMT. According to Bangladeshi daily The Daily Observer, the country's expatriates' welfare adviser Asif Nazrul and senior secretary Neamat Ullah Bhuiyan will represent the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in the talks. They are scheduled to meet human resources minister Steven Sim and senior officials from the ministry tomorrow to discuss reopening the Malaysian labour market for Bangladeshi workers. Santiago said the negotiations must address the dismantling of the syndicate model that had been charging excessive recruitment fees, resulting in debt bondage and labour trafficking. 'Both governments should commit to an alternative mechanism that tracks each Bangladeshi worker from the moment the Bangladeshi government approves their job offer right up to their exit interview and flight back home,' he said. Santiago added that the increasing focus of importing countries on social audits – especially those concerning forced labour, recruitment fees and unscrupulous labour brokers – must guide the discussions. However, he warned that if the recruitment channel was to be reopened, it must come with new safeguards. 'It must have a legally binding agreement framework between both countries, rooted in transparency and accountability at every stage. 'Forget the MoUs, which do not seem to be taken seriously by both sending and receiving countries,' Santiago said. Employer-pay principle Another key reform, Santiago said, was the enforcement of the universally accepted employer-pay principle, which, despite being legally required, was often ignored by authorities. 'Workers should not be paying any money. Employers pay for everything. When a worker has to borrow or mortgage their property to come here, they end up with debt bondage and close to being in a slavery environment,' he said. Santiago also pointed to a report by the Public Accounts Committee two years ago that criticised the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) as a flawed process. Despite the findings, the system continues to be in use. 'I hope the negotiators will pay attention to the FWCMS in their discussion, as otherwise, we will go back to where we came from,' he said.