KUALA LUMPUR – Workers who feel they are being mistreated will be able to lodge complaints via a “secret” mobile app come January.
During an event at the MIC-owned Maju Institute of Educational Development, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said the multilingual app will help the government keep track of employers who do not respect the rights of foreign workers.
The languages that will be available on the app are those typically spoken by Nepalis and Bangladeshis, among others.
Saravanan was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying the app will likely put an end to the “snitching” culture, citing a case where leaked information resulted in an errant employer quickly moving workers away before a raid.
The case involves an operation by the Labour Department and Klang Health Department at a glove factory in Port Klang.
“Currently, foreign workers have no direct link to the government, and they cannot inform us if they are being mistreated,” said Saravanan.
“(The app) is to make it easier and safer for workers to have a two-way communication with the government.”
The Labour Department recently conducted raids to check on worker housing, some on factory premises. – The Vibes, December 26, 2020