BETWEEN January and June, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) submitted to the Immigration Department the names of 635 company directors to be blacklisted from leaving the country.
In total, as of June, EPF found that 13,820 employers (2.02%) out of the 685,399 registered under the organisation failed to pay their employees’ contributions while 12,787 company directors were prohibited from leaving the country due to unpaid contributions, reported the New Straits Times.
A total of 1,932 civil suits were filed between January and June against the directors with 2,200 criminal cases brought against those who defaulted on the EPF contributions.
Meanwhile, EPF chief operating officer Sazaliza Zainuddin said failure to make the contributions was a serious offence and employers were obligated to do so according to Section 43(1) of the EPF Act.
“The EPF will not hesitate to pursue legal remedies, including civil and criminal actions, to protect employees’ rights,” he said.
Sazaliza said EPF would ensure the outstanding contributions were paid in full through stringent enforcement and monitoring. – August 28, 2024.
