Send male migrant workers free of charge

By Gagani Weerakoon
The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is examining the possibility of sending skilled male migrant workers to Middle Eastern countries without charging money.

SLBFE Chairman Kingsley Ranawake said recruitment agencies were now charging a minimum of Rs 60,000 from each prospective male worker who migrated to the Middle East for work.

“There is a huge demand for skilled male workers in the Middle East -- especially in the construction industry. It is a pity that our male workers have to pay such a big amount to migrate there.

Those countries are wasting millions due to lack of skilled workers in many industries. We are holding discussions with recruitment agencies about sending male workers without charging a fee from them,” he said.

He said that the government was now discouraging females from migrating as housemaids and this system of charging money from male workers would interfere with its attempts to reduce the number of female workers. The recruitment agencies at present do not charge money from women when they are migrating to the Middle East.