Dhaka: Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam on Tuesday said a time-befitting law would be enacted for the Wage Earners Welfare Board to ensure welfare of the expatriate workers and their families.

He said this speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the first consultative workshop on the proposed law for the Wage Earners Welfare Board at Prabashi Kalyan building at Eskaton in Dhaka, said an official release.

The minister said the government has made the Overseas Employment and Migration Act 2013 and the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Policy 2016 to ensure rights of the expatriates.

In light of these law and policy, a new act would be formulated for the Wage Earners Welfare Board to ensure the overall welfare of the migrants and their families, he added.

Presided over by Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Secretary-in-Charge Begum Shamsunnahar, the function was also addressed by Additional Secretary Jebed Ahmed, Wage Earners Welfare Board Director General Gazi Mohammad Julhash, and BMET acting director general M Nizam Uddin.

Representatives from 13 ministries, migration related NGOs, migration experts and media personnel took part in the workshop.

International Labour Organization (ILO) is giving assistance for formulating the Wage Earners Welfare Act 2016.