Bangladesh postponed manpower export to Lebanon

Bangladesh Ambas-sador to Lebanon Abdul Motaleb Sarker told that they have not "stopped" exporting manpower to Lebanon but rather "postponed" it, reports Arab News.  Bangladesh had annou-nced the suspension of exported labor to Lebanon on August 26, citing problems created by some of the recruiting agents.

"It has been decided that the attestation of job contracts by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Beirut will remain suspended until further orders," read a statement issued by the Bangladeshi mission in Beirut. "I have been waiting to go Lebanon for the last six months. It was all set and I was about to take the flight in the next few weeks," says 27-year-old Mohammed Azimuddin, a Bangladeshi laborer, hoping to find a better future abroad.

Azimuddin was supposed to join a Lebanese company as a cleaner. But now he has to wait another few months as Bangladesh has "postponed" the export of manpower to Lebanon until further notice. Now, many Bangladeshi workers such as Azimuddin are uncertain of their future. 

The authorities in Bangladesh are preparing a "new guideline" for the recruiting agents to send workers to Lebanon, putting many aspiring jobseekers in dismay. 

However, Bangladesh Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Motaleb Sarker told Arab News that they have not "stopped" exporting manpower to Lebanon but rather "postponed" it. "We are currently drafting new guidelines in this regard and are passing through a transition phase," said Sarker.

The new system will require the recruiting agencies to initially submit their recruiting requirements to the Bangladesh Embassy, which will "examine and scrutinize" the employers' job requirements.