TAPAH – The Human Resource Ministry has received more than 5,000 complaints through the Working For Workers (WFW) app on various labour issues, with a majority of them concerning work from home (WFH) policies.
Its minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said although warnings have been issued to errant employers, complaints are still coming in, and the ministry is acting on them.
“I often receive complaints of employers taking the opportunity to instruct employees to continue working even though standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been set for companies that are allowed to operate.
“The ministry will soon issue two policies related to WFH and on SOP compliance,” he told a press conference after a food basket distribution programme at Mahatma Gandhi Hall here today.
He said most of the complaints were on employees being forced to come in to work and, as at yesterday, 5,177 complaints have been received nationwide since the app was launched on May 3.
He said it is not necessary for workers to go to the labour office to lodge their complaints as those made directly through the WFW app will be addressed within seven days.
Meanwhile, Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said besides the 2,154 WFH complaints recorded since May, the others concerned salaries and wages.
“Other types of complaints include non-payment or delayed salaries (1,180 cases) and 388 cases of unlawful wage deductions,” he said in Pulau Indah today.
Awang said some 793 investigation papers have been opened since February under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) against employers for various violations.
Most of the offences committed involve violations under Section 24D of Act 446 for placing employees in accommodations without certification from the director-general of the Manpower Department, he said.
On July 2, it was reported that the state with the highest number of WFH complaints was Selangor with 696 complaints, followed by Kuala Lumpur (505), Johor (196) and Penang (123).
A total of 59 compounds for violations of the worker attendance capacity at the office or workplace were issued by the Labour Department of Peninsular Malaysia and Occupational Safety and Health Department between June 1 and July 1. – Bernama, July 8, 2021
