Press secretary: Bangladeshis in Malaysia to receive same benefits as local workers

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam today announced that Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia will now enjoy the same social security benefits as Malaysian workers.

He added that since many Bangladeshi migrants face challenges with English or find it difficult to learn Malay, the possibility of filing complaints in Bengali was also discussed during the Chief Adviser’s visit to Malaysia.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, Alam described the visit as “very fruitful” and “a landmark tour” that further strengthened ties between Bangladesh and Malaysia.

According to him, worker welfare was a key topic in discussions with the Malaysian Prime Minister. The Expatriates’ Welfare Adviser also raised the matter of regularising undocumented Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.

Other discussions included recruiting Bangladeshi security guards and caregivers for Malaysia, as well as the ‘Graduate Plus’ programme to provide employment opportunities for Bangladeshi students there. Alam said Malaysia had expressed interest in moving forward on these issues.

He also revealed that Bangladesh will soon sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia, noting that Bangladesh currently imports around US$3 billion worth of food and other products from the country. “We will soon discuss the FTA to further boost trade. We are also in talks on FTAs with Japan and Singapore,” he added.