KUALA LUMPUR – Some 91.1% or 1.4 million foreign workers in the country are provided with accommodation that does not comply with provisions in the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 or Act 446.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said he found the statistics “very worrying”, especially with the current Covid-19 pandemic.
"The government received applications for certificates of accommodation for only 143,587 or 8.89% of the 1.6 million foreign workers in the country as of October 31.
“This situation clearly shows that employers and providers of centralised accommodation for 1.4 million foreign workers in Malaysia still fail to apply for the certificate from the Peninsular Malaysia Manpower Department (JTKSM),” he said.
He told this to reporters at a special press conference here today, which was also attended by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Saravanan said Act 446 would be enforced continuously.
“Since enforcement of Act 446 last September 1, the department has conducted 1,850 inspections involving 1,813 employers and 37 centralised accommodation providers throughout the peninsula and Labuan.
“The department is targeting 25,000 inspections by 2021,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri, who is also chairman of the cabinet committee on foreign workers, said certificates of accommodation will be a prerequisite for employers who intend to hire new foreign workers effective July 1 next year.
“Before an employer makes an application to bring in foreign workers, they must obtain the certificate from the Human Resources Ministry to enable the Malaysian Immigration Department to issue a visa,” he said.
“This means that employers are required to make available accommodations compliant with Act 446 before foreign workers arrive in the country. Otherwise, the workers will be regarded as illegal immigrants.”
Ismail Sabri reminded employers that Act 446 not only involves foreign workers, but also local workers.
“Act 446 is focused on foreign workers at the moment due to the high number of Covid-19 cases involving them,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said the second meeting of the special committee on the coordination of foreign workers, held yesterday, also agreed for the Housing and Local Government Ministry to expedite the approval of applications by employers to build workers’ quarters. – Bernama, December 3, 2020
