Bangladesh Association ofInternational Recruiting Agencies (Baira) has threatened to stop manpowerexport if the government does not involve it in sending workers to Malaysia.
The Baira leaders also demandedimmediate scraping of the government-to-government agreement between Dhaka andKuala Lumpur in this regard.
They came up with the warning ata press conference at Ruposhi Bangla hotel in the capital on Wednesday.
Baira president Shah JalalMojumder, Vice President Mansur Ahmed Kalam and Secretary General Ali HaiderChowdhury, among others, were present on the occasion.
"Baira is responsible forsending workers abroad not the government," Shah Jalal Mojumder saidputting the warning that they would not accept it if the government sendsworkers to Malaysia by passing them.
He also sought Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina's intervention in this regard.
Negative comments of minister,secretary and higher officials of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas EmploymentMinistry about the manpower exporters have not only damaged the image ofmanpower sectors but also the image of the country, Baira president said.
Due to negligence of theministry, Libyan Embassy in Dhaka is not issuing visas for several thousands ofworkers though they have taken visa fees from them, he alleged.
Most of the Middle East countriesare now unwilling to import Bangladeshi workers as they believe that Bangladeshgovernment and Baira are at loggerheads over different recruitment issues,Mojumder said.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi womenworkers in Lebanon and Jordan are passing through a critical time and facinguntold miseries, he alleged saying the government is not lending support tothem.
Criticising the manpowerminister, he claimed that the one-sided decision of the minister is the keyreason behind the recent declining trend in manpower export.
The manpower importing countriescame to this conclusion after various statements of government against Bairawere published in the media.
On September 12, Dhaka and KualaLumpur have decided to go for state to state recruitment of Bangladeshi workersby Malaysia, putting aside the long involvement of private manpower recruitmentagencies and brokers in the process.
If this situation continues andthe government does not discuss the matter with Baira on the issue, we willimmediately stop sending manpower abroad, the Baira president said.