Proposed agreement would target construction, halal and agricultural sectors as Thailand considers Bangladesh a fifth source country<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thailand has expressed interest in signing an agreement with Bangladesh to recruit workers to address labour shortages in its construction, halal and agricultural sectors.Nitrutti Suthinun, chairman of Thailand’s Senate Standing Committee on Labour, conveyed the interest during a meeting with Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury at the ministry today, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said in a press release.Thailand currently has recruitment agreements with four countries but has suspended hiring workers from Cambodia following recent border tensions, Suthinun said.Thailand is keen to bring Bangladesh on board as a fifth source country to address the resulting shortfall, he added.However, the Thai-side raised concerns over Bangladeshi workers overstaying their visas, using Thailand as a transit point to travel onward to other countries, and the risk of human trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ariful welcomed the proposal and expressed hope that these concerns could be addressed swiftly, paving the way for the two countries to sign a memorandum of understanding soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stressed the need for an ethical and responsible recruitment system, under which employers would bear the initial recruitment costs, standard employment contracts would be ensured in local languages, and effective safeguards would be put in place for workers’ welfare, fair wages, accommodation and medical insurance.The minister also said Bangladesh deeply appreciated Thailand’s initiative to explore viable avenues for recruiting Bangladeshi nationals. He noted the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and Thailand, describing the celebration of the 54th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an important milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque Nur, who was present at the meeting, urged the Thai delegation to recruit skilled Bangladeshi workers through the state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited.Ministry Secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed said Bangladesh has suitable workers for both blue-collar and white-collar jobs in Thailand, adding that Thailand was a suitable destination for Bangladeshi workers given cultural and climatic factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stressed the need for both sides to work together to ensure a transparent recruitment process, low migration costs and protection of workers’ rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the Thai delegation were Chinachot Sensank, vice-chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Labour, and Dr Pirasith Kunlartaripon, a member of the working committee on labour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional Secretary Ahmadul Haque, Joint Secretary Debajit Singh and other senior ministry officials were also present at the meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Proposed agreement would target construction, halal and agricultural sectors as Thailand considers Bangladesh a fifth source country Thailand has expressed interest in signing an agreement with Bangladesh to recruit workers to address labour shortages in its construction, halal and agricultural sectors.Nitrutti Suthinun, chairman of Thailand’s Senate Standing Committee on Labour, conveyed the interest during a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n