They made the remarks while speaking at “National Consultation on Migration and Development: Trade Unions and Civil Society Organization’s Platform,” organized by WARBE Development Foundation with support of Solidarity Center Bangladesh.

Speaking as the chief guest, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour and Employment Ministry Mujibul Haque Chunnu said that migrant workers have been facing various problems at home and abroad.

The middlemen and recruiting agencies who are involved in wrongdoings should be brought under punishment, he said.

He said all stakeholders including the  government and non-government organizations should  work together ‘with utmost sincerity’ to protect the migrant workers of Bangladesh.

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Policymakers, experts and representatives from national and international organizations on Saturday laid emphasis on strengthening engagement of Trade Unions (TUs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in migration sector of Bangladesh to bolster protections of migrant workers at home and abroad.

“I am pleased to join all of you virtually for this important event, bringing policymakers, trade unions, migrants’ supportive organizations and other government and non-government stakeholders together to discuss migration and development concerns,” he said.

In welcome remarks, Trade union leader and Bangladesh Migrant Workers’ Forum adviser Abul Hossain said that time has come to involve the country’s trade unions with the migrant rights protections.

He hoped that existing gaps between trade unions and CSOs would be removed through holding dialogue.

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Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation President Babul Akter said that the involvement of the trade unions with the common TU-CSO platform has been a “time-befitting step” and now they could play important role in protections of migrant workers.

He urged the government to include the issues of migrant workers with the labour law to enable the migrants forming trade unions in Bangladesh.

Former foreign secretary and migration expert Shahidul Haque identified some challenges and opportunities of the joint platform of TU-CSO designed to work on migration sector.

He suggested the members of the platforms to put some common issues centering “Migrant Workers” and raised their common voices in national and international forums to effectively ensure the rights of Bangladeshi migrant workers.

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Moderating the session, WARBE Development Foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque highlighted the importance of internal and international migration from Bangladesh.

He stressed the need for strong involvement of Bangladesh trade unions in the migration sector to bolster migrant protection through forging partnership on the migration of workers