Bangladeshi Ambassador to Kuwait Major General MD Ashikuzzaman has unveiled the country’s plan to recruit domestic workers from Bangladesh, clarifying there has been no agreement in this regard until now, reports Al-Qabas daily. He said this matter will be discussed in the second meeting of the joint committee, which is expected to be held this year. “At present, there are no Bangladeshi domestic workers in Kuwait; but there are 1,500 workers under Article 18 visa in cleaning companies. He confirmed there is coordination between the two countries for Bangladesh to provide Kuwait with skilled workers.

Asked if female Bangladeshi workers assigned in schools are facing problems, Ashikuzzaman said there are complaints that some companies are delaying the payment of salaries. He continued saying that the employment of Bangladeshi domestic workers depends on the willingness of Kuwait to provide appropriate protection for the workers through an agreement signed by the two countries. He added Bangladesh and Kuwait signed a manpower agreement in 2001, but it does not cover the labor recruitment issues. He indicated that the embassy proposed a meeting between the concerned ministers in both countries to sign a new and detailed agreement or a memorandum of understanding on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.