http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=3D35666
Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Friday, May 9, 2008 12:02 AM GMT+06:00
Legalise irregular Banglade**** workers to ensure rights
Migrant bodies urge South Korea
Staff Correspondent
Banglade**** migrants' rights organisations yesterday urged the South
Korean government to legalise the irregular workers who have been
living in South Korea for 10 to 15 years in a bid to ensure their
rights to work.
South Korea has long been ignoring the issue of human rights of the
foreign workers, though the foreign workers are playing immense role
in the South Korea's economy, they said.
They also demanded to give registration to Migrant Trade Union (MTU),
a union of foreign workers, by Industry of Labour in South Korea and
immediate release of MTU leaders who were arrested recently.
They raised the demands at a press conference organised jointly by
Mutual Welfare Society, International Migrants Foundation and Welfare
Association for the Rights of Banglade**** Emigrants (WARBE) at the
Dhaka Re****ters' Unity auditorium in the city.
Moniruzzaman Masum, a migrant leader, said according to the estimate
of the Bangladesh government, over 12,000 workers are now working in
South Korea. Of them, 6000-7000 workers are irregular.
He also said it is a matter of regret that the Bangladesh government
does not have any accurate information about the workers who have been
contributing a lot to the country's national economy by their uphill
struggle.
He also said 80 percent of the workers are forced to work irregularly
due to the government mismanagement.
He urged the government to do something for legalisation of
Banglade**** workers in South Korea immediately.
In a written statement, International Migrants Foundation President G
M Rabbani said, =93Formed in 2005, MTU has been working for establi****ng
rights of the foreign workers in South Korea. Korean Confederation of
Trade Union approved the MTU. Though the High Court of South Korea in
its verdict directed the ministry of labour to give registration to
MTU, the ministry is yet to give registration to MTU.=94
He also said people of 103 countries are working in South Korea and
about 2.4 lakh foreign workers out of 4.5 lakh are working there on
irregular basis.
Rabbani also said MTU has been facing repression by the government of
South Korea since its inception and now three MTU leaders, including
its Vice President Abdus Sabur, were arrested on May 2 as they raised
their voice for the rights of foreign workers. They will submit a
memorandum to Korean Embassy in Bangladesh, hold meeting with foreign
adviser, send letters to the United Nations (UN) office in Bangladesh
and International Labour Organisation (ILO), stage a human chain and
conduct a mass signature campaign, they announced.
Mutual Welfare Society Executive Director Md Shamim, Faruque Ahmed of
WARBE, Khademul Islam, Syed Shamim Ahsan and Abdul Dulal also spoke.
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