The crucial words/concern here for me is the Minister saying ‘We will cancel the quotas of employers who collect any money from them (Bangladeshi workers) after their arrival.‘ But what if the employer or it’s agents collect all the money in advance from workers before they arrive in Malaysia, in Bangladesh, via their Malaysian and Bangladeshi manpower agencies. The money collected is then passed through the recruitment chain from worker to agent to employer often using the hundi money transfer system or in cash, in the form of kickbacks/corruption. As I am aware, the Bangladeshi MoU allegedly states (no one knows as they haven’t seen the final draft) that Bangladeshi workers are liable to pay all related recruitment fees and costs in Bangladesh but not in Malaysia… that’s not ethical or zero cost recruitment!
Zero-cost recruitment or quotas will be cancelled, Malaysian labour minister Saravanan warns Malaysian employers