‘Setting min wage for migrants on the cards’

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad on Tuesday said Bangladesh is on its way to set a minimum wage that foreign employers have to ensure to hire migrants from here.

He said this while addressing an event organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka celebrating the completion of Prottasha, a project for migrants.

The minister said it had been noticed over the years that some Bangladeshis were not getting the jobs they were promised after migration while their peers from other countries were getting higher wages for the same jobs.

“We are working on setting a minimum wage for migrants. We will not accept any demand for sending workers below that wage,” Imran added.

At the event, achievements and takeaways from the flagship project were highlighted, and discussions were held on migration and sustainable reintegration programmes.

“The government is committed to ensuring safe and dignified migration so that it improves the wellbeing of migrants and their families. Prottasha has played a vital role in establishing a foundation to build future reintegration programmes in Bangladesh on,” Imran further said.

Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, secretary of the expatriates’ welfare ministry, said the government has recognised the significant contribution of migrants and international migration to the development of the country.

“We have taken numerous steps to improve the management and promotion of safe and regular migration. Prottahsa stands out as an exemplary initiative, which has supported the ministry across the areas of sustainable reintegration, improved migration governance, and safe migration.”

Dr Bernd Spanier, chargé d’Affaires at the European Union delegation to Bangladesh, said, “The lessons learned from Prottasha are a solid basis to build on, and the good practices established will help shape future initiatives in this area. We as the European Union stand ready to support you in this endeavour.”

The event featured a panel discussion on migration programming moderated by Prof Shahidul Haque, senior policy advisor at IOM Bangladesh.

Senior officials from the expatriates’ welfare ministry; foreign ministry; home ministry; Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services; and Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training participated in the discussion.

Contributions to the panel discussion were also made by representatives from the European Union delegation to Bangladesh, IOM, and BRAC as well as migrants who had benefited from Prottasha.

To support sustainable reintegration, improve migration governance, and raise awareness of safe migration, IOM under the overall guidance of the Bangladesh government has implemented the Prottasha project since 2017 with BRAC as its local implementing partner.

The project piloted IOM’s global Integrated Approach to Reintegration (IAR) in Bangladesh, working at the individual, community, and structural levels across the economic, social, and psychosocial dimensions of reintegration.