KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 – The new policy requiring employers to receive new foreign workers at the KL International Airport (KLIA) needs to be discussed with the relevant stakeholders before it is implemented, according to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
Its president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said there should also be better clarity on the new policy to minimise hitches during implementation.
“MEF is of the view that such (a) new policy may give rise to implementation issues as the six hours window as specified by the Immigration Department may be too short. Even though there is a possibility for the six hours window to be extended, it does not specify how long the extension can be given.
“Based on the new policy, foreign workers will not be released until their employers arrive at KLIA. However, the new policy did not specify who can represent the employers. Can the employers be represented by directors, managers, human resources officers or can the appointed agents be authorised to receive the workers on behalf of the employers?” he said in a statement today.
Syed Hussain said the proposed policy of sending foreign workers who are already at KLIA on the next flight home if employers fail to comply will be very costly for the employers.
“It will give rise to a lot of other difficulties and challenges, especially when employers are facing critical shortages of workers especially foreign workers,” he said.
Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, in a statement, said employers are required to wait for the arrival of their new foreign workers at KLIA to ensure that they have a legitimate employer
He said the employers are responsible for managing the documentation of the workers and verifying that they are the employers of the workers concerned.
The Immigration Department’s regulations give employers a period of six hours to receive their foreign workers at KLIA, but in certain circumstances, that period will be extended.
