KAJANG – The government will no longer approve foreign worker permits unless employers comply with regulations on staff accommodation, said Datuk Seri M. Saravanan today after a raid on a glove-maker’s factory here over squalid living quarters.
The human resources minister urged local councils to act against errant companies, and not wait for Labour Department enforcement officers to move in.
“Realistically, employers cannot achieve their objectives without their employees. So, they (employers) must take care of them (employees).”
Employers who have applied to bring in foreign workers will not be given the nod until the Labour Department ensures that the company has appropriate living quarters for staff.
On whether the factory in Kg Sg Balak has to cease operations, Saravanan said the decision is the Labour Department director-general’s to make.
A worker, who was asleep during the raid, said up to three people slept in one room.
Following the operation, Saravanan said the glove factory's worker housing has the worst living conditions he has seen, comparing it to the British-owned plantations in the country prior to independence.
The factory manufactures, among others, non-medical, latex nitrile and latex surgical gloves.
Saravanan said action will be taken against the factory pursuant to the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990. – The Vibes, December 21, 2020
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