MELAKA – About 95% of employers in the state have yet to apply for the certificate of accommodation under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).
The act stipulates that employers and centralised accommodation providers must obtain the certificate from the Labour Department.
State Manpower Department director Rosli Jantan said only 82 employers in Melaka have submitted applications, with 11 having been approved.
He told reporters this after a joint operation with the Occupational Safety and Health Department, Melaka Historic City Council and police at an ice manufacturer in Bukit Gedong here today.
He said the factory was found to have committed four offences under Act 446, including neglecting safety at its employees’ dormitories, with 14 foreign workers forced to live in an empty space under a water tank and in an overcrowded container converted into a cabin.
“We also found that the employer did not have the certificate of accommodation, as well as a temporary accommodation permit from local authorities. Also, the workers have not been tested for Covid-19.”
The employer faces a fine of up of to RM100,000, he said.
Meanwhile, Negri Sembilan Labour Department director S. Tharu Marajan said only 25 of the 5,000 employers in the state have applied for the certificate of accommodation.
Of these, 20 have obtained approval, involving 227 buildings, two were rejected, and three are waiting to hear back from the authorities.
“This shows that there are many employers who have yet to submit their applications. This is a serious offence, because if convicted, they can be fined up to RM50,000,” he told reporters after an operation to check on compliance with Act 446 in Seremban today.
He added that 25,000 of the 50,000 foreign workers in the state have undergone Covid-19 screening.
“Employers in all sectors who have foreign workers are urged to contact the Social Security Organisation or its panel clinics to arrange for Covid-19 screening immediately.” – Bernama, January 13, 2021
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