KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Builders Association (SBA) needs clarification on the new ruling on the hiring of foreign workers and expatriates by the Human Resources ministry.
The SBA said they were unsure whether it also applies to Sabah as the state has different regulations on the employment of foreign workers.
"Whether this will be applicable to Sabah, it is best to check with the state labour dept for clarification," said SBA president Lou Chi Nam to its members.
However, he said If the federal ministry statement is applicable to Sabah then the construction industry in Sabah will be seriously affected.
"This is because we can’t afford to wait for 14 days to advertise and do interviews once we receive a Letter of Award,” he said, stressing that the letter itself generally requires work to commence within 14 days.
Lou was of the view that the Ministry of Human Resources will be inundated if every foreign worker recruitment has to go through them.
The Human Resources Ministry ruling is that effective November 1 employers who wish to hire foreign workers through rehiring programmes as well recruit expatriates are required to first advertise the vacancies on national employment portal MYFutureJobs.
Minister M. Saravanan said the advertisements on MYFutureJobs should not run less than 14 days for the rehiring programme of foreign workers in the country and 30 days for the application of expatriates and followed by an interview with the candidates by representatives of employers and the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
Employers are also required to register and apply through the Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAX) for the employment of non-citizens.
The Sabah Labour Department could not be reached for comment. - The Vibes, November 3, 2020
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