KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — The level of compliance among employers who hire foreign workers in this country, in terms of looking after the welfare and interests of workers, is still not satisfactory, with the service sector recording the highest number of violations of the law.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in that regard, he urged employers to pay attention to the legal aspects related to accommodation, working hours and wages of their foreign workers.
“Failure to do so may cause the regulatory agency to carry out an investigation and if it is related to the violation of certain sections and laws, it may lead to investigation papers being opened and ending up in court.”
He said this after the ninth joint committee meeting between the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Human Resources on the Management of Foreign Workers here today.
Also present was Human Resource Minister V. Sivakumar.
The service sector includes restaurants, laundry and cleaning, wholesale and retail businesses, laundries, hotels, resorts, spas, cargo (handlers), ports (dockworkers) and airports and the scrap-yard (second-hand goods) business.
Saifuddin said the level of compliance of employers who employ foreign workers is monitored by the inspectorate following the government’s move to implement a relaxation plan and recalibration policy at the beginning of this year to make it easier for employers to employ foreign workers.
He said the four other sectors that were also inspected are the construction, agriculture, plantation and manufacturing sectors.
According to Saifuddin, the number of foreign workers who have been given Temporary Work Visit Passes (PLKS) is currently reaching 1.7 million and is deemed sufficient.
He said that there are quotas of recruitment that have been approved but the foreign workers have not yet been brought in and this is in line with the policy set by the Ministry of Economy which is that the number of foreign workers in the country cannot exceed 2.4 million by 2025.
“After this, the government will only monitor the quotas that have been approved and there will be no more application for new quotas,” he said.
Another paper deliberated at the meeting today was on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s application to open (quota for) a foreign worker sub-sector for theme parks to meet the needs of 78 theme parks across the country, he added.
