Axe to fall on errant job agencies

by Ananda Kannangara

The flying squad of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) will take legal action against errant foreign job recruitment agencies which have mushroomed in the country, under a special program from today.

As an initial step, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution will assist the Bureau to grade all registered foreign job agencies, considering the services they render to develop the foreign employment trade.

The Bureau has received complaints that some job agencies retain the passports of job seekers and demand colossal sums of money by promising them lucrative jobs abroad.

According to the latest statistics over 20 illegal job agencies were raided by the Bureau’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) during the past three weeks.

SLBFE Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka told the Sunday Observer yesterday that legal action would be taken against errant job agents and relief provided to victimised job seekers. He said at the time of the raids many job agencies had a large number of passports collected from job seekers.

Ninety-nine passports were seized from a job agency at Haliela, while eight passports from Badulla and sixty passports were seized from job agencies in Colombo. Meanwhile, two illegal foreign job agencies were raided in Ambanpola and Maradana, Colombo 10.

The Bureau Chairman has called upon all foreign job seekers to check the authenticity of the foreign job agencies with the Bureau before handing over their passports and other documents.