Department must change its ways
Published on: Monday, December 24, 2018
Tawau: The Tawau Chinese Chamber of Commerce (TCCC) said Sabah depends very much on foreign labour for its oil palm industry but the shortage has been getting more acute in recent years.Its advisor Lo Su Fui said labour shortage is not a new issue in Sabah and it is not a domestic but national problem. "This problem should be looked into objectively rather than to continue to use the existing policy and approach which may not be fully relevant," he said at a dialogue Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran.
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Lo, representing the Chamber, submitted a proposal to alleviate the problem faced by the planting industry in Sabah.The Chamber proposed the labour quota interview to be abolished or to be held four times a month rather once monthly, which could be conducted by local officers rather than officers all the way from Kota Kinabalu.Currently, the labour quota interview is held once a month. Hence it is not efficient and becomes the bottleneck in the process getting of labour. "Once a month, all the employers come from Lahad datu, Kunak and Semporna and this only jams up the Immigration Department. Some may not have the chance to participate the interview due to unavoidable reasons.
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"This process would be improved if the frequency of interview is increased to four times per month. Furthermore, the process could be further enhanced with the interviewers or officers coming from the local authorities," he said.They also proposed that the levy be paid monthly to lessen the burden of the employers and to reduce monetary losses due to labour abscondment.
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It would be good if allowed replacement of labour quota (one to one) immediately each time there is a work permit cancelled by the employer so that the employer could have the opportunity to replace the worker without further delay.They also proposed one rate of levy for all sectors; allowing employment of foreign female labourers; work permit extension of once every 15 years; foreign labour force of other nationality to enter the labour market in Sabah other than Indonesians and Filipinos; and document for labour quota application other than land grant.Touching on worker allocation ratios, the Chamber proposed to approve minimum number of workers for different industrial requirement as follow: l Oil Palm: One worker per 10 acres.l Rubber: One worker per five acres.l Vegetable Farming: Five workers per acre.l Prawn farming: Four workers per acre.l Deep-sea fishing boat: 20 workers per boat (vessel).Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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