MIGRANT rights activists from the South Asian countries on Wednesday called for taking up strong labour migration programmes to promote and protect decent works for migrants. They put forth their observations at a session of the two-day meeting on South Asia Civil Society Consultation on Labour Migration in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. 

Migrants are the main catalyst of the transformation of South Asian countries towards economic growth. Bangladesh economy is highly subsidized by the migrant workers who spend their whole lifetime to make the fortune for their family living in the country. But it's a matter of great regret that, most migrants don't get healthy workplace, good behaviour or regular salary at the workplaces of the migrant country.

What is decent work? Decent work means; opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income. Besides, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, are also vital organs of decent work. Not only that, freedom of people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equal opportunity and treatment for all women and men - are also necessary for it. 

We know, in many organizations Bangladeshi workers don't get their salary on time and are being deprived of their service benefits, compensations and leaves. Bangladeshi RMG workers still earn the lowest minimum gross wage in Asia, which stands at $95 a month though the gross wage in Vietnam is of $140 a month while $116 in Pakistan, $137 in India, $155 in China. About 90 per cent of RMG workers in Bangladesh are internal migrants who are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation in the name of labour migration.

It's true that less effort have been taken for the country's migrant workers. While the country's GDP size is increasing with the expanding of remittance inflow, the authorities' indifference to the unsung heroes' plights and pains is pathetic as well as economically distressful. 

Such negligence points to the fact that we are only interested in their hard-earned foreign exchange not their welfare though their toil runs the wheel of the economy.