HEADLINE-MIGRANT WORKERS | PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia- Fine companies RM30,000 for each foreign worker brought in who is not employed after a month
Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani has proposed that companies be fined up to RM30,000 for each foreign worker brought in who is not employed after a month. – NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAH
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PUTRAJAYA: Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani has proposed that companies be fined up to RM30,000 for each foreign worker brought in who is not employed after a month.
He said strict punishment would force companies to reconsider bringing in workers if they could not guarantee employment.
“Ideally, compound them between RM20,000 and RM30,000 per worker. Suppose a company brings in workers and fails to employ them after a month, they should be penalised multiplied by the number of workers, whether 500 or 1,000.
“We must ensure that this issue does not persist; otherwise, every time we talk about Malaysia, it will be associated with forced labour.
Memento Maxima Digital Marketing“This tarnishes our country’s image, and crucial industries suffer due to the lack of workers, such as in palm oil and rubber plantations,” he said at a press conference today after attending his ministry’s monthly assembly.
Johari also warned of a potential domino effect – import restrictions (WRO) from the United States may be imposed as a result of substandard working conditions, affecting product and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification.
He said if the government were to intervene, it needed to legalise these workers and allocate them to our local plantations.
Johar mentioned that 420,000ha of rubber plantations could not be utilised due to the absence of workers.
“With approximately 1.5ha per worker, we are looking at around 70,000 to 80,000 workers needed at our plantations.
“If these workers are already here and there are no jobs, we need to quickly resolve the root cause so local companies can apply to employ them. Let us switch them around – if they are here, let’s transfer them to the plantations,” he said.
Johari said that currently, there was an issue where the Human Resources Ministry could not transfer the foreign workers’ quota to another field in dire need of labour forces as the company had no authority and rights to do so.
He also revealed that these suggestions were discussed during the cabinet meeting yesterday, where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had emphasised on resolving the issue as soon as possible.
“The Human Resources Ministry and Home Ministry are currently handling the issue.
“We cannot treat foreign workers who come to work in our country for employment as a global business. This needs to be rectified,” he said.
– January 4, 2024
