United News of Bangladesh

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has said they want to streamline the recruitment process with "fairness and transparency" as the Kingdom is committed to ensuring that Bangladeshi workers continue to be "valued and integral members" of Saudi Arabia’s labour market. "Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to strengthening this vital cooperation. As part of this commitment, we aim to streamline the recruitment process, ensuring fairness and transparency for both workers and employers," a spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources & Social Development told UNB. He said Bangladeshi expatriates have been an integral part of Saudi Arabia's workforce for decades, bringing their skills and dedication to a range of sectors in the Saudi labor market. Their contributions complement the local workforce, fuelling the Kingdom’s development and enriching their social fabric, said the spokesperson. Today, he mentioned, Saudi Arabia is home to over two million Bangladeshi expatriate workers and they deeply value the contributions they bring to their society. Looking forward to next year with hopes for a better Bangladesh: Foreign Secretary "We are fully committed to protecting their welfare, upholding their rights, and offering them wide-ranging opportunities to develop and grow their careers," said the spokesperson. The Labor Reform Initiative (LRI) of 2021 marked a significant milestone in this commitment, aimed at creating a more transparent, fair, and equitable labor market, said the Saudi government. By promoting job mobility and enhancing contractual relationships, the KSA said, the LRI has empowered expatriate workers across the Kingdom, setting new standards in the labor sector. The Wage Protection System (WPS) plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the financial rights of workers by electronically tracking and ensuring the timely payment of wages in line with agreed contracts. The system applies strict penalties to employers who fail to comply," said the Spokesperson. ‘Fighting my own shadow,’ says energy adviser about bureaucratic challenges The WPS is now fully operational across all establishments, covering even those with as few as one employee, providing a comprehensive layer of protection for both Bangladeshi workers and the broader expatriate workforce. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan, during his recent meeting with Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin in Dhaka recalled the invaluable contributions of Bangladeshi expatriate workers to the Saudi economy and society, praising them as diligent and hardworking. The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka is issuing a good number of visas every day, which is adding up to the workforces employed in Saudi Arabia. Workshop on financial inclusion, rural transformation towards achieving SDGs begins The Ambassador expressed eagerness to recruit more workers, especially skilled and trained workforce to support its ambitious initiatives like ‘Green Saudi Initiative’ and mega projects under the Kingdom Vision 2030. Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia underscored the necessity of maintaining continuous engagement between the two governments, including political consultations and the high-level Joint Economic Commission (JEC) as well as the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) on Manpower between the two countries.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has unveiled its 18-member central executive committee. The announcement was made in a press release on Thursday night. According to the release, the committee will include the convener, member secretary, chief organiser, and spokesperson as ex officio members. This marks a significant step in the organisational structure of the movement. The newly announced 18 members of the central executive committee are: Md Mahin Sarkar, Rashidul Islam Rifat, Nusrat Tabassum, Lutfur Rahman, Ahnaf Saeed Khan, Tarekul Islam (Tarek Reza), Tarikul Islam, Md Meherab Hossain Sifat, Asadullah Al Galib, Mohammad Rakib, Cynthia Jahin Ayesha, Asad Bin Rony, Naim Abedin, Mahmuda Sultana Rimi, Ibrahim Nirab, Rasel Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam Ainy, and Muinul Islam Hasnat. Read: Student movement to lay siege to High Court on Wed This announcement follows the dissolution of the movement’s coordination team on 22 October, which was replaced by a four-member convening committee. The convening committee comprised Hasnat Abdullah as convener, Arif Sohel as member secretary, Abdul Hannan Masud as chief organiser, and Umama Fatema as spokesperson. Until now, the convening committee had been overseeing the organisation's activities. The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement continues to position itself as a key voice against societal inequalities, with this newly formed committee expected to steer its initiatives forward.

Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Md. Serajul Islam on Tuesday blamed the extreme volatility in the forex market in recent months on the global strength of the dollar against almost all currencies.  “Not only in Bangladesh but also in neighboring countries, the price of the US dollar has increased. In many South Asian countries, it is higher than it is in Bangladesh,” he said. Serajul Islam, also executive director of the BB, said this in a briefing for a group of reporters on decreasing remittances and export earnings in the last month. The inward remittance flow in September may have fallen due to the situation over the exchange rate, with a significant volume being diverted to the kerb market in search of a higher rate for the dollar, he believed. Year on year, Bangladesh's inward remittances dropped by 10.84 percent to $1.54 billion in September, the third month of the 2022-2023 fiscal, from $1.72 billion in the same month last year.  It was the lowest inflow of remittances in 7 months.  The drop was even steeper, almost 25 percent, in comparison to the previous month (August 2022). It followed a decision by banks on September 11 to pay a maximum of Tk 108 for each dollar to foreign exchange houses (like MoneyGram and Western Union, through which most expats send money). Prior to that, they had offered exchange houses up to Tk 115 for a dollar.  The Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB) and Bangladesh Foreign Exchange Dealer’s Association (BAFEDA) were tasked to come up with the rate by the central bank, as an alternative to Bangladesh Bank frequently intervening in the market to set the rate, usually by selling dollars to support an artificially overvalued rate for taka. Read: Sept saw 25% drop in remittance, bankers blame fixed exchange rate But the “strongest dollar in a generation”, witnessed over the last year or so and likely to persist well into the foreseeable future, was starting to make the prevailing system very expensive to maintain for Shapla Chattor. The new system, meanwhile, would seem to be still going through 'teething problems.'  Serajul Islam however said today that the price of the US dollar "is normalizing with the initiative of the central bank".  "Bangladesh Bank should not provide any dollar support to the market.  BAFEDA and ABB are also playing a role in overcoming the dollar crisis. Currently, the volatility of the dollar has also decreased somewhat," he said. The spokesperson said Bangladesh has to emphasize this issue by increasing export income. “To that end, businessmen have to work to establish Bangladesh as a brand in the global market. If we can do this, this crisis will end quickly,” he added.