Dhaka Bureau: Bangladesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual cooperation in manpower export to Libya. The memorandum was signed by Bangladesh Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmad, MP and Libyan Minister of Labour and Resettlement Engineer Ali Abed Reza on 25 October 2023 in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. Members of the high-level delegation from Bangladesh and Ambassador to Libya Major General Abul Hasnat Muhammad Khairul Bashar and high officials of the Ministry of Labour of Libya were present on the occasion.
The signing of the MoU will expand new employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in Libya. It will protect the rights of Bangladeshi nationals employed in Libya and ensure remittances and security of expatriates. The MoU will also play an effective role in preventing illegal migration to Libya. It is expected to improve the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Libya and further strengthen the fraternal bonds between the two countries.
Under the MoU, a preliminary agreement will be signed with the employer in Bangladesh specifying various benefits to the workers recruited in Libya, including salary, allowances, working time, accommodation, food, leave and service benefits. Through which the workers coming to Libya will be able to know about their various facilities while staying in the country. In addition, the visa process will be simplified through the use of the best information technology in the recruitment process, and the employer or company will bear the cost of the recruited workers coming to Libya and returning home at the end of their term.
Prior to the signing of the MoU, the Expatriates Welfare Minister held a bilateral meeting with the Labour Minister of Libya. At the meeting, the Libyan labour minister said various quarters were taking advantage of the fact that so far no MoU was in force to recruit workers from Bangladesh to Libya. As a result, Bangladeshi workers were facing various frauds and complications. The signing of the MoU has created a legal framework through which it will be possible to ensure the rights of Bangladeshi workers. At the same time, the workers employed in Libya will be covered under social security and medical insurance, the minister said. He also said a high-level national committee has been formed by the Prime Minister’s Office to regularize foreign workers living illegally in Libya. Bangladeshis will be given priority in this process, he said.
The Expatriates’ Welfare Minister welcomed the proposals put forward by the Libyan Labour Minister on various issues. He urged the Libyan labour minister to bring down the cost of migration to zero by ensuring that all expenses, from procuring visas for workers to coming to Libya, are borne by the employer or the company. At the same time, he also requested the employer to pay the cost of ensuring social security and medical insurance of the employees. The minister requested the concerned authorities in Libya to recognize the previous experience certificate provided by the National Skill Development Authority of Bangladesh.
The Expatriates’ Welfare Minister also drew the attention of the Labour Minister to simplify the process of obtaining the legitimacy of Bangladeshi workers working in Libya and to remove the complexity of sending remittances through the banking channel. The Labour Minister assured that a committee has been formed to determine the process of legalization of Bangladeshis and other foreign workers who arrived in Libya undocumented in April. At the same time, he informed that this committee will work to solve the complexity of sending remittances in the banking channel.
A high-level delegation of Bangladesh led by the Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare is visiting Libya for two days. The delegation included Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training; Mir Khairul Alam, additional secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates “Welfare and Overseas Employment; and Ahmad Kabir, private secretary to the minister.
During the visit, the minister interacted with the expatriate Bangladeshis working in different professions in Tripoli. He said necessary steps would be taken to solve the problems of expatriates working in Libya.
The last agreement signed by Libya on the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh in 2008 expired earlier. The MoU was finalized after a long and continuous effort by the Embassy under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
