Photo: Collected
The Saudi government has expressed its commitment to working closely with Bangladesh to implement various measures recently taken to protect the rights of Bangladeshi and foreign workers in the kingdom.
These measures include, increased transparency in the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh, improved labour-employer relations, promoting accountability for both employers and workers, and safeguarding workers' rights, according to a media release circulated by the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
The Saudi government's interest in collaboration was conveyed during a courtesy meeting and workshop held at the office of Faisal AL-Dhafyan, Assistant Undersecretary for Human Resources and Social Development in the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
The Bangladeshi delegation was led by Md Abul Hasan Mridha, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, it said.
Faisal AL-Dhafyan highlighted the significant contribution of Bangladeshi workers to the Saudi labour market, emphasising their hard work and dedication. He noted that Bangladeshi workers constitute the largest group of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, a testament to their high demand.
The Assistant Undersecretary informed the delegation that Bangladesh's vast manpower is playing a crucial role in supporting various projects undertaken as part of Saudi Vision 2030. He sought the embassy's cooperation in familiarising Bangladeshi expatriate workers with the digitised system of various services offered to them.
During the meeting, Deputy Chief of Mission Mridha expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for its efforts to ensure the employment and well-being of Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia. He requested further collaboration on labour-related matters, including strengthening cooperation on labour relations development streamlining visa issuance, including ensuring job and Iqama, repatriating female workers at the end of their contracts, expediting the repatriation of workers whose Iqama has expired, addressing complaints filed by Bangladeshi recruiting agencies under the Musaned system.
AL-Dhafyan elaborated on the Saudi government's initiatives to promote transparency and accountability in the Saudi labor market. He informed the delegation that 1200 labor inspectors have been recently recruited to address workers' complaints and resolve issues. In 2023, these inspectors successfully resolved approximately 1 million complaints.
The workshop was also attended by Councilor (Labor) Muhammad Reza-e Rabbi, Councilor (Political) Muhammad Humayun Kabir, First Secretary (Labour) Muhammad Almagir Hossain, and Second Secretary (Press) Asadujjaman Khan from the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
Messenger/Sumon
