Labour recruitment in Malaysia

IT is a matter of grave concern that the Malaysian government has appointed a sole entity, Synerflux Sdn Bhd, a private Malaysian company, to oversee the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers including workers' registration, eligibility and delivery of visas.

Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) has raised concerns of Synerflux being part of a powerful, transnational syndicate, a claim that is not unfounded given the dubious records of another company that ran a similar system and was owned by the same individuals who founded Synerflux. We also agree with many of the criticisms of the new recruitment mechanism voiced by migrant rights organisations which argue that such a move could monopolise labour recruitment and exacerbate labour relations between the two countries.

With Synerflux having monopoly, the Bangladesh government will have no scope for the verification of workers' jobs, salaries, working conditions, etc, which is problematic. It seems rather odd that Bangladesh will have to take all liabilities for the lapses of the selected recruiting agencies without having any say in the recruitment process. We have every reason to believe that under the new recruitment system our workers are likely to become more vulnerable to various forms of exploitation and abuse.

In this regard, organisations like Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Baira ought to have much more of a stake in the recruitment process of Bangladeshi workers. It is, therefore, imperative that the Bangladesh government engages in meaningful discussion with Malaysia to ensure a level playing field so that our workers' rights are protected.