Thirty-three Bangladeshi workers have filed a lawsuit against a recruitment agency and relevant government officials and departments in Malaysia demanding RM1.72 million, or Tk 4.8 crore as compensation accusing employment fraud.
They filed the case in the High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on March 12, but it remained undisclosed until Tenaganita, a local rights organisation, brought it to public attention on Saturday. The workers listed recruitment agency Meranti Binamas Sdn Bhd, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Human Resources, the director-general of the Immigration Department, and the government body responsible for supervising and regulating civil servants as defendants in the lawsuit.
The workers are demanding not only damages but also a legal injunction to stop their detention by the Immigration Department while the case is underway. They are additionally requesting an official statement affirming that they were subjected to human trafficking and employment fraud, and that the responsible authorities were careless in their duties.
As outlined in the statement of claim, the recruitment firm Meranti Binamas arranged for the workers to travel to Malaysia, assuring them of employment in the construction industry. The legitimacy of these job offers was later verified by the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia.
