First batch of workers leaves for KL Mar 10

The much-awaited flight to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, carrying the first batch of 200 Bangladeshi workers, is scheduled to take off from Dhaka on March 10, according to sources.  The additional secretary (admin) of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Jabed Ahmed, has confirmed this. He said expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister Nurul Islam is expected to inaugurate the first flight.
The workers are going to Malaysia under the Government-to-Government (G2G) Plus scheme, after about eight years of restriction on Bangladeshi workers by the Malaysian authorities.
The Bangladeshis will be employed in construction, plantation, and manufacturing and service sectors.
About 500 workers will leave Dhaka for KL in three batches from March 10 to 15, said Benjir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA).
Booking has been made for 200 workers on a Malaysian Airlines flight for March 10. Besides, bookings for the second batch of 100 workers and the third batch of 200 workers have been made on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights for March 12 and 15, respectively, Benjir Ahmed said.
The BAIRA chief said 10 authorised recruiting agencies are sending workers to Malaysia. More than 270 agencies are associated with the process, he added.
Replying to a question, Benjir Ahmed said most of the workers who got recruiting approval have completed their bio-medial tests. The bio-medical test of the others are on, he added.
Another BAIRA source said that though 10 recruiting agencies are involved in sending workers to Kuala Lumpur on a pilot basis, 300 to 350 agencies will join the process gradually.
 Jabed Ahmed told The Independent that they have so far received about 9,000 demand
letters from Malaysian employers. The ministry has given recruiting approval for 5,700, he said.
Replying to a question, Jabed Ahmed said the process of sending workers to Malaysia is going on smoothly. The Malaysian authorities selected the 10 agencies from a list of 957 the government sent to Kuala Lumpur in two phases, said sources.
The approved recruiting agencies are: Amin Tours and Travels, Unique Eastern Private Ltd, Career Overseas Resources, ISMT Human Resources, Shanjari Travels and Tours, Rabbi International, Catharsis International Recruiting Agency, Passage Associates, Al Islam Overseas and Prantik Tourism.
In the middle of January, Malaysian employers started issuing demand letters to the Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur to hire Bangladeshi workers under the G2G Plus agreement. The Malaysian government had stopped hiring Bangladeshi workers in 2009 after experiencing the entry of a large number of illegal workers between 2007 and 2008.
On February 18 last year, the two countries signed the G2G Plus deal, involving the recruiting agencies for selecting and sending workers to Malaysia in five sectors to avoid malpractices.

First batch of workers leaves for KL Mar 10

The much-awaited flight to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, carrying the first batch of 200 Bangladeshi workers, is scheduled to take off from Dhaka on March 10, according to sources. The additional secretary (admin) of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Jabed Ahmed, has confirmed this. He said expatriate welfare and overseas employment minister Nurul Islam is expected to inaugurate the first flight. The workers are going to Malaysia under the Government-to-Government (G2G) Plus scheme, after about eight years of restriction on Bangladeshi workers by the Malaysian authorities. The Bangladeshis will be employed in construction, plantation, and manufacturing and service sectors. About 500 workers will leave Dhaka for KL in three batches from March 10 to 15, said Benjir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA). Booking has been made for 200 workers on a Malaysian Airlines flight for March 10. Besides, bookings for the second batch of 100 workers and the third batch of 200 workers have been made on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights for March 12 and 15, respectively, Benjir Ahmed said. The BAIRA chief said 10 authorised recruiting agencies are sending workers to Malaysia. More than 270 agencies are associated with the process, he added. Replying to a question, Benjir Ahmed said most of the workers who got recruiting approval have completed their bio-medial tests. The bio-medical test of the others are on, he added. Another BAIRA source said that though 10 recruiting agencies are involved in sending workers to Kuala Lumpur on a pilot basis, 300 to 350 agencies will join the process gradually. Jabed Ahmed told The Independent that they have so far received about 9,000 demand letters from Malaysian employers. The ministry has given recruiting approval for 5,700, he said. Replying to a question, Jabed Ahmed said the process of sending workers to Malaysia is going on smoothly. The Malaysian authorities selected the 10 agencies from a list of 957 the government sent to Kuala Lumpur in two phases, said sources. The approved recruiting agencies are: Amin Tours and Travels, Unique Eastern Private Ltd, Career Overseas Resources, ISMT Human Resources, Shanjari Travels and Tours, Rabbi International, Catharsis International Recruiting Agency, Passage Associates, Al Islam Overseas and Prantik Tourism. In the middle of January, Malaysian employers started issuing demand letters to the Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur to hire Bangladeshi workers under the G2G Plus agreement. The Malaysian government had stopped hiring Bangladeshi workers in 2009 after experiencing the entry of a large number of illegal workers between 2007 and 2008. On February 18 last year, the two countries signed the G2G Plus deal, involving the recruiting agencies for selecting and sending workers to Malaysia in five sectors to avoid malpractices.