ALOR GAJAH – Dirty and inhumane – that is the pathetic picture of workers’ housing inhabited by 27 employees of a chicken egg production factory here.
Without basic amenities such as mattresses, electricity, and water supply, the migrant workers from Myanmar were forced to live in poor conditions because the employer failed to comply with the minimum standards of employee housing rules.
The situation, uncovered through an integrated Workers’ Housing Op held for more than two hours, also showed that two workers were directed by the factory’s employer to live in a dilapidated shack to look after a chicken feed storage warehouse there.
Unity, Information, Manpower and Consumer Affairs exco Ngwe Hee Sem said the results of the inspection found that the employer provided 15 units of accommodation of various types to 27 migrant workers employed without any accommodation certificates.
“We also found that the employer has not made any application to obtain the certificate, along with other various offences detected under the Employees’ Minimum Standards for Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Regulations Act 1990,” he told media in Kuala Sg Baru here today.
Also present were Melaka Manpower Department director Rohana Bakar and Melaka Department of Occupational Safety and Health director Dr Rabaayah Daud.
He said the employer also violated the rules under Section 24D, namely accommodation without a certificate, Section 24K for lack of maintenance, and the Minimum Accommodation Rules for not providing beds, mattresses, and lockable cupboards.
Ngwe said that the employer also violated rules under the Social Security Organisation, failing to pay contributions for three employees and not registering them.
“Hence, an investigation paper has been opened and at the same time we will monitor the improvements imposed on the employer and the company,” he said.
Ngwe said that the situation was very depressing, especially since the employer had been given a reminder letter on the offence previously.
“However, the employer has still failed to comply (with the rules). In today’s operation, we found the same situation prevailing since the inspection done last February.
“The employer’s excuse was that the workers have not yet been moved to the alternative accommodation which has already been found elsewhere. However, the Manpower Department thinks this is where their actual accommodation is,” he said, adding that the workers have been employed for more than seven years and are still holed up in the same housing.
He said the authorities will not compromise and has warned the employer who is still flouting the rules to make immediate amends.
“We will conduct more frequent operations and go down to ground to ensure that workers’ housing meet the set standards, because the situation so far has been very disappointing,” he said. – Bernama, May 26, 2022
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