HUNDREDS of Bangladeshi workers are employed now in the garment sector abroad but due to lack of proper bargaining capacity they are deprived of their proper rights. Their wage is lower than those of workers from other Asian countries due to lack of their awareness, bargaining capacity and language problem. I found that Indian workers get more wages than that of their Bangladeshi counterparts as they can bargain with employers. Indian mission officials are also pro-active to help ensure their workers’ benefits, according to the rights campaigners. Bangladeshi women workers go abroad without necessary information about wages and other facilities. So they don’t get desired wages. Many Bangladeshi workers live in a miserable condition abroad in absence of standard accommodation, health facilities and insurances. Very often employers fire them without assigning any reason. For example, a year ago some 70 women workers were sacked without any logical reason in Jordan and some 11 women were suspended in Mauritius as they used mobile phone. It is also alleged that Bangladeshi workers don’t get cooperation from their mission office. I feel that coordination between foreign affairs and expatriates’ welfare ministries is very important to secure workers’ protection abroad.
