Deputy of Oliy Majlis criticizes hiring workers from abroad

The Daily Star had previously reported that 888 Bangladeshis would arrive in Uzbekistan on three special flights for work.

The first group of 239 people arrived on November 7. They work in an engineering company in Karshi.

Experts noted that it was important for Bangladesh to look for new labor markets, especially after declining demand for foreign workers in the Gulf countries, which were caused by various reasons, including illegal employment, the article stated.

On this basis, the authorities view the Central Asian region as one of the markets for labor exports.

Nodir Tillavoldiyev, a member of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, commented on the attraction of workforces from abroad.

“How proper is it to attract Bangladeshis to Uzbekistan when the number of unemployed in the country is on the rise, incomes down, and many migrants who have returned from Russia cannot find jobs,” the people’s representative noted.

Tillavoldiyev noted that the recruitment of labor migrants is regulated by the presidential decree “On measures to create favorable conditions for work in the territory of Uzbekistan for qualified foreign specialists” and by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers “On approval of the regulations on the procedure for attracting and using foreign labor in Uzbekistan”.

“Are workers from Bangladesh highly skilled and do what our specialists unable to do? In these difficult times, protectionism in Uzbekistan would be appropriate if it benefited not only individual monopolists but also ordinary people. I would advise the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations to pay special attention to this issue,” he noted.

The deputy concluded that “local investors should be patriots and support the population first”.