Labor, interior ministers discuss improving conditions of workers with Bangladeshi counterpart

The Lebanese labor minister Sajaan Azzi discussed on Friday with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Nour el Islam and the Bangladeshi ambassador Abdel Mutalib Sarker ways to regulate and improve the conditions of Bangladeshi workforce in Lebanon, particularly in the most needed fields of construction, environment and agriculture. Azzi pointed out to the existence of an organized human trafficking black market between the two countries, mainly from in Bangladesh. This, Azzi protested multiplies, the costs of labor import through illegal channels, proposing to the Bangladeshi ministry the creation of a special agency that will take care of all related procedures from within its borders in order to put an end to the vicious circle of corruption and bribery. As for Lebanon, the labor ministry through the National Employment Office will be the official mediator and guardian of the rights of the Bangladeshi laborers residing on its territories. Azzi disclosed that his ministry has granted a six month grace period to resolve all the pending cases to this effect. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, August 13, 2016)