BUTTERWORTH – The Human Resources Ministry is in the middle of processing more than 200,000 migrant worker applications for all sectors from Bangladesh.
Its minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan told reporters that they are currently verifying the applications after launching the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRDC) open day here today.
At the same time, his ministry has also reached out to Jakarta to bring in domestic workers from Indonesia.
“We are also planning to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesia in March to bring in domestic workers. If everything goes well, the MoU will be signed on March 17 in Bali, Indonesia.
“We have a problem because for the time being, Indonesians come to Malaysia as tourists but they end up working in Malaysia.
“Indonesia was blaming us for not taking care of their Indonesian workers here as salaries were not paid and other benefits not provided. The tourists-turned-workers did not know their rights as workers in Malaysia and the government was not aware of their plight,” he said.
Saravanan said that under the new MoU, the workers will undergo compulsory training under HRDC where they will be informed of their rights as migrant workers in Malaysia.
He added that the two nations have come to an agreement on various issues and finally, they are seeing a “light at the end of the tunnel”.
At the same time, the Tapah MP also panned Western nations and asked them to stop victimising Malaysia by citing forced labour for offences committed in the migrant workers’ countries of origin.
“The agents in their own home country take their money and the foreign workers end up paying debts to the agents.
“We in Malaysia will not know what happened in their home country, but our products exported to these Western nations are being blocked,” he said, adding that nowadays Malaysian companies can go directly to the countries of origin to hire their foreign workers, cutting off labour agencies.
However, no companies are allowed to hold a migrant worker’s passport and they must provide adequate and proper housing for their staff.
Regarding nasi kandar restaurant workers, he said these businesses can apply to bring in migrant workers but Saravanan suggested that these outlets employ locals for positions such as cashiers. – The Vibes, March 10, 2022
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