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KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): 91.1% or 1.4 million foreign workers in the country receive accommodation that does not comply with the provisions of the Minimum Standards of Housing and Services for Workers of 1990 or Law 446.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (photo) said he found the statistics “very worrying”, especially with the current Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government received requests for Accommodation Certificates for only 143,587 or 8.89% of the 1.6 million foreign workers in the country as of October 31 last.
“This situation clearly shows that employers and providers of centralized accommodation for 1.4 million foreign workers in Malaysia have yet to apply for the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Labor (JTKSM) certificate,” he said.
He told reporters this at a special press conference here on Thursday (December 3), which was also attended by Chief Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Saravanan said that the application of Law 446 will be carried out continuously and measures will be taken against errant employers.
“Since the application of Law 446 on September 1, the Labor Department has carried out 1,850 inspections, in which 1,813 employers and 37 centralized accommodation providers participated throughout the peninsula and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
“The Department of Labor is targeting 25,000 inspections by 2021,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri, who is also chairman of the Foreign Workers Cabinet Committee, said the Accommodation Certificate will be a prerequisite for employers intending to hire new foreign workers starting July 1 next year.
“Before the employer submits an application to bring in foreign workers, the employer must obtain the certificate from the Ministry of Human Resources so that the Malaysian Immigration Department can issue a visa.
“This means that before foreign workers arrive in the country, employers must make available accommodation that complies with Law 446. Otherwise, foreign workers are (considered) illegal immigrants,” he added.
Ismail Sabri reminded employers that Law 446 not only involves foreign workers, but also includes local workers.
“The focus of Law 446 at the moment is on foreign workers due to the high number of Covid-19 cases involving them,” he added.
Ismail Sabri said that the second meeting of the Special Commission for the Coordination of Foreign Workers, held yesterday, also agreed that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government expedite the approval of requests from employers to build housing for workers. – Bernama
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