CNI News
4 May 2024
Although the news saying that anymore of close supervision regarding official monthly remittance of 25 percent of basic salary from Myanmar workers in foreign countries would be conducted came out, there was no plan to do so, the Migrant Worker Branch of the Ministry of Labor told CNI News.
At present, those who would go abroad to work had just contracted with overseas employment agencies to officially transfer 25 percent of basic salary to their families, assistant director of the Migrant Worker Branch told CNI News.
" We haven't been able to make a system that can exercise close supervision at once. Myanmar migrant workers who went abroad with contract haven't come back yet. It's difficult for us to monitor whether they have transferred already or not. Because we are still making an application to monitor, we are collaborating with the Central Bank of Myanmar to know when the workers transferred. For the time being, things are as in the contract. When a worker tries to go abroad again, if he cannot show any evidence that he had officially transferred in the past, when he applies for an OWIC card, whether he transferred or not will show up on our system because the system runs with biometric and data server." he said.
Because a point saying Myanmar migrant workers who would go abroad must officially transfer 25 percent of their basic salaries to their families in Myanmar must be included in the contracts signed by agencies and workers starting from September 2023, workers would be allowed to go abroad again only if they could show the evidence that they had transferred officially, according to the Migrant Worker Branch.
If they couldn't show any evidence, they would be banned to go abroad to work for three years, said the branch.
However, pieces of news - the Ministry of Labor has directed Myanmar migrant workers must officially transfer 25 percent of their basic salaries and the ministry was planning to ensure that Myanmar workers actually comply with the instructions came out.
" If they exercise close supervision anymore, we'll suspend our business. Myanmar workers could or could not transfer money. We have sent lots of Myanmar workers. We can't go and sit monitoring whether they transfer money or not. Our business is to send workers abroad. that has nothing to do with banking activity." said an official from an overseas employment agency, to CNI News.
Myanmar migrant workers could officially send 25 percent of their basic salaries thrice a month reportedly.
The number of workers who officially transfer 25 percent of their basic salaries depends on the ups and downs of the foreign currency prices designated by the Central Bank reportedly.
If there was not a very wide gap between the foreign currency prices designated by the Central Bank and the market prices, the number of workers who officially transfer money would increase, pointed out some people.
