CNI News
23 Nov 2022
The Ministry of Labour has difficulty taking action against illegal overseas employment agencies if victims fail to make complaints to the ministry, Permanent Secretary U Nyunt Win of the Ministry of Labour told the CNI.
He said, "Our ministry is not a body that investigates and exposes illegal overseas employment agencies. So, victims are required to make complaints to us because we are not responsible for investigating and exposing them. If victims make complaints to us, we can take action against them under the Law relating to Overseas Employments - 1999, which allows the police to make arrests without warrants. If victims settle their cases with illegal agents and fail to make complaints to us, it is difficult for us to take action against them."
As more and more people in Myanmar are trying to work abroad at present, the number of illegal overseas employment agencies has increased. Those who fell victims to illegal agencies got into trouble and were swindled their money out of them.
Applicants at an overseas employment agency.
U Nyunt Win said that recruiting and sending workers abroad without licenses amounts to committing a serious crime punishable with both fines and prison terms.
The Ministry of Labour failed to take effective action against offenders in the past and is likely to do so more under the current circumstances, Labour Activist U Min Oo of the Foundation for Education and Development told the CNI.
Failure to take effective action against illegal overseas employment agencies has led to mushrooming of them and frauds at present, he added.
U Min Oo said, "If they really wanted to tackle the problem, they could do it. For example, if they had taken effective action against illegal employment agencies, no one would have dare to commit the crimes. The problems will persist. Under the current circumstances, illegal employment agencies will be emboldened and it amounts to a great opportunity for them. Another factor is that those illegal agencies have links with some authorities. I think the situation may have been aggravating. People are trying to working abroad either legally or illegally. They cannot think about what is true and false. They believe what they were told."
Applicants queuing at the passport office.
While illegal employment agencies are sending workers illegally, gangs are also swindling workers out of their money by using the name and data of employment agencies that were officially registered with authorities, according to overseas employment agencies.
Such frauds have negative impacts on overseas employment agencies that have registered with authorities, Managing Director Daw Myat Haymar Lin of Pwintphu Aung Overseas Employment Agency told the CNI.
"Some people who wanted to work abroad. The gangs told the workers to send money to them and made appointments to sign contracts. When they called us, we don't know anything about them. Most of the victims were people who wanted to work abroad as soon as possible. We don't have such jobs to offer. The gangs told the workers that they would send the latter abroad within 20 days. There are many agencies that are sending workers to Thailand, which can accept only 850 workers a day. We cannot send workers within such a short period. It will take at least 2 months to send a worker to Thailand."
Those who want to make complaints to the ministry are required to provide full information to the ministry whether they are registered with authorities legally or not. They are taking action against offences if victims provide complete information, the ministry added.
