'Unfair to fine companies for unemployed foreign workers'
Published on: Friday, January 05, 2024
By: FMT
FMM president Soh Thian Lai said it is highly likely that unscrupulous agents are bringing in workers with the false promise of jobs awaiting them.
PETALING JAYA: The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has shot down plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani’s proposal to fine companies RM30,000 for each migrant worker they bring to Malaysia without having jobs ready for them.
FMM president Soh Thian Lai urged the government to introduce a system to investigate these cases first, not just automatically penalise employers.
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“It would be unfair for the authorities to immediately place the blame on employers without a proper probe into the matter,” he said in a statement.
“It is highly likely that unscrupulous agents bring in workers with the false promise of jobs awaiting them, while committing fraud through falsification of paperwork.”
Johari had proposed that the fines be used to repatriate migrant workers to their home countries, an expense currently shouldered by the government, Berita Harian reported yesterday.
Soh emphasised the need to rectify flaws in the entire recruitment process and to take prompt action against those responsible.
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He also said FMM had been pressing the government to create a single end-to-end online system under one ministry to better manage foreign workers and ensure fairness and transparency.
“No other ministry or agency should get involved in the process of employer eligibility in the recruitment process, other than the human resources ministry,” he said.
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“The government should resume the foreign worker application and approval process to cater to market-driven worker needs,” he said, adding that industry still requires foreign workers for certain operations while reducing the dependence on foreign labour over time.
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