The government on Tuesday signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over sending Bangladeshi workers to the Gulf country under 12 categories.
The deal was singed 10 days after the Saudi government reopened its manpower market for Bangladeshi jobseekers lifting a long seven-year ban.
Deputy Minister for International Affairs (leader) of the Ministry of Labour of Saudi Arabia Dr Ahmed Al-Fahaid and Labour and Employment secretary Khandaker Md Iftekhar Haider inked the agreement at the Labour Ministry on behalf of their respective sides.After the signing ceremony, Iftekhar Haider told reporters that Saudi Arabia will recruit housemaids from Bangladesh at 800 Saudi Riyal under the agreement. “However, the salary of workers to be recruited under 11 other categories will be fixed as per their (workers) efficiencies,” he added.
The housemaids will get free accommodation, food and treatment facilities under the agreement, said the Labour secretary.
He said another agreement will be signed soon to recruit workers under other categories.
Emerging from the signing ceremony, Dr Ahmed Al-Fahaid said, “It’s a very historic agreement. In fact, for us, we value the partnership with Bangladesh.”
He said there will be no middlemen on the manpower export procedure as the process will be done directly by the employers.
Referring to workers’ facilities, Al-Fahaid said, “The workers won’t need to pay any charges to remit money back home… I guarantee…they will have to spend no money to have the jobs as the employers will pay for their air tickets, food and many other things.”
Replying to a query about salary range of the workers, he said, “There is a minimum standard for salary, but there’s no limit for the maximum; we believe, the salary will depend on quality and skill of the workers.”
Earlier, in the morning, another agreement was singed between Saudi Arabia National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom) and Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies ( Baira) over the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers at a city hotel.
Sanarco President Saad N Al Baddah and Baira President Abul Bashar signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides.
Later, Baira president Abdul Bashar told UNB that housemaids will be sent to Saudi Arabia free of cost.
The agreements were signed as a high-profile delegation of the Saudi government arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit to discuss issues relating to procurement of manpower from Bangladesh. – UNB.
