Agreement to end moratorium on Bangladeshi workers in Seychelles close to completion, new High Commissioner says

High Commissioner Rezina Ahmed presented her letter of accreditation to President Danny Faure on Tuesday. (Jude Morel) 

(Seychelles News Agency) - A labour agreement that Bangladesh and Seychelles are expected to sign to end a moratorium on workers from the Asian country is in its final stage, said the newly accredited Bangladeshi High Commissioner.

High Commissioner Rezina Ahmed presented her letter of accreditation to the Seychelles’ President Danny Faure on Tuesday at State House.

“The labour cooperation agreement will be signed very soon. Things are now in the hands of Bangladesh. Seychelles has already submitted the final draft and now we are working on that and it is in its final stage,’ Ahmed told reporters.

She added that “we are expecting our minister for expatriate and welfare will come to sign the agreement soon.”

In October last year, the Department of Employment put in place a moratorium on the recruitment of Bangladeshi nationals to work in Seychelles. The tightening of recruitment measures came after six Bangladeshi employees of a security firm approached media houses to express their frustration as their employers had failed to pay them their wages.

Discussions between Ahmed and Faure also focused on trade and investment, and the Bangladeshi High Commissioner said that both countries have not done much in these sectors. 

Another point touched upon during the discussion was the Blue Economy.

“Seychelles has the expertise. In our case, we don’t have the technology to develop this sector. But we are interested in doing so,” said Ahmed. 

The Bangladesh High Commissioner to Seychelles is based in Mauritius and will serve a mandate of two years.

Also accredited on Tuesday was Alex Chua, the new ambassador of Philippines to Seychelles.

Alex Chua was accredited as the new ambassador of Philippines on Tuesday. (Jude Morel) Photo License: CC-BY

Chua is looking to build on the aspect of democracy, social justice, development and progress with Seychelles.

“While Philippines and Seychelles are two distant countries in different continents we share the same commitment to democracy, social justice, development and progress,” said Chua.

The new ambassador said that Philippines and Seychelles are working on signing a labour agreement.

“I want to take this opportunity to convey my appreciation to the government of Seychelles for their warm hospitality and kind assistance to our Filipino nationals who are working and residing in Seychelles,” said Chua.

At present, the ambassador said that there are approximately 500 Filipinos working in the Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean. 

Chua will be based in Nairobi, Kenya on a three-year mandate.