Bangladesh: Wage Earners’ Welfare Fund

In 1990, on the basis of the Emigration Ordinance of 1982, the Government of Bangladesh created a fund for ensuring welfare of the wage earners. The Wage Earner’s Welfare Fund was later supplemented by one of the three rules framed in December 2002 under the 1982 Ordinance. The Fund is constituted with subscriptions from the migrant workers, interest earned from the deposit of licenses of recruiting agencies, 10% surcharge of the fees collected through Bangladesh missions abroad, and personal and institutional contributions. Needless to say, the bulk of the fund was raised from the subscription of the migrant workers.

The fund was created with the following objectives:

  • Establishment of a welfare desk at the airport;
  • Transfer of body of deceased migrant workers;
  • Providing assistance to sick, disabled and stranded migrant workers;
  • Providing financial help to the families of deceased migrant workers;
  • Providing legal assistance to the migrant workers through the embassies;

The Fund is to be utilised for the following purposes:

  • Establishment of a hostel cum briefing centre;
  • Organisation of an orientation and briefing programme; and
  • Establishment of a recreation club and information centre under the auspices of the Bangladesh missions abroad.

The Ministry for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has established two welfare desks at Zia International Airport, Dhaka for facilitating safe arrival and departure of expatriate Bangladeshis. These desks are providing services to the migrant workers in getting their emigration clearance. BMET officials are deputed for 24 hours at the airport desks to deal with the matters related with expatriate workers. Probashi channel in the airport is a new initiative of the Ministry to facilitate smooth departure and arrival of the expatriate Bangladeshis at Zia International Airport. A bar-code checking for the outgoing migrants have been introduced in order to prevent illegal migration. Expatriate Bangladeshis are now receiving transportation facilities introduced for secured and risk free movement from Zia International Airport, Dhaka to the inter-district bus terminals after arrival in Bangladesh. Two buses are providing regular service to this effect.

One of the major programmes financed by the Wage Earners’ Welfare Fund is the pre-departure briefing of migrant workers. The briefing session runs for two hours three times everyday and BMET claims that the coverage area of the session is increasing day by day.

A one- stop service centre is being constructed at Eskaton, Dhaka with all modern facilities to ensure enhancement of overseas employment and residential facilities where expatriate Bangladeshis and their family member would be able to stay for short period of time in safety and security. The facilities include accommodation, verification of authenticity of passports, services of airlines, travel agencies and money exchange centres, medical test, telephone, fax and e-mail, restaurants, and community centre.

Assistance is also provided to around 15 schools for the children of Bangladeshi expatriates in the Gulf countries. Currently in case of death of migrant workers the family receives a one time grant of Tk 20,000 from BMET. Bangladesh Mission in the labour receiving countries and BMET play the major role with regard to transportation of the deceased body to Bangladesh. An amount of Tk 100,000 is given to each returnee migrant worker who has not received any compensation from his/her employer. Moreover, if he/she receives less than Tk 100,000 as compensation, the balance amount is provided.

The Fund is managed by a Board of Governors. It is an inter-ministerial body consisting of representatives of the Ministry for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and representative of BAIRA.