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KUALA LUMPUR: About 91.1 percent or 1.4 million foreign workers in Malaysia do not receive accommodation that meets the provisions of the Minimum Standards of Housing and Services for Workers Act 1990 or Act 446, said Thursday Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan (Dec. 3).
Saravanan said she found the statistics “very disturbing,” especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
It added that the government only received applications for the accommodation certificate for just 143,587 foreign workers, or 8.83 percent of the 1.6 million foreign workers in Malaysia as of October 31.
“This situation clearly shows that employers and providers of centralized accommodation for 1.4 million foreign workers in Malaysia have not yet applied for the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Manpower (JTKSM) certificate,” said Saravanan, who addressed the journalists at a press conference. Thursday.
Also present was Chief Minister (security group) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
READ: COVID-19: Malaysian government opens Top Glove investigations on workers’ housing
Saravanan said law enforcement would be carried out and action would also be taken against errant employers.
“Since (the) application of Law 446 on September 1, JKTSM has carried out 1,850 inspections involving 1,813 employers and 37 centralized accommodation providers throughout the Peninsula and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
“JTKSM is targeting 25,000 inspections by 2021,” he said.
Ismail Sabri, who is also chairman of the Foreign Workers’ Cabinet Committee, said that the accommodation certificate will be a prerequisite for employers who intend to hire new foreign workers as of July 1, 2021.
“Before an employer submits an application to bring 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 provide accommodation that complies with Law 4467. Otherwise, foreign workers are (considered) illegal immigrants,” Ismail Sabri said.
READ: From record sales to government investigation, 2020 an eventful year for Malaysia’s Top Glove
He also reminded employers that the law not only includes foreign workers, but also local workers.
“The focus of Law 446 at the moment is on foreign workers due to the high number of COVID-19 cases among them,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said that the second meeting of the Special Committee for the Coordination of Foreign Workers also agreed that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government expedite the approval of requests from employers to build housing for workers.
TOP RESEARCHED GLOVE ON WORKERS HOUSING
On Tuesday, the Malaysian government said it opened 19 investigative documents on six of Top Glove Corporation’s subsidiaries for crimes related to workers’ dormitories.
This followed the concurrent execution operations carried out by JTKSM last Thursday.
“The main offense was that employers failed to request housing certification from the Department of Labor under Section 24D of the Minimum Standards of Housing and Workers’ Services Act of 1990,” JTKSM CEO Asri Ab Rahman said Tuesday .
READ: Businesses and residents near Top Glove dormitories on the brink, as COVID-19 cases rise among workers
This had led to other crimes, including congested rooms and dormitories, which were uncomfortable and stuffy, he added.
Furthermore, the buildings used to house the workers did not comply with the statutes of the local authorities.
“The JTKSM will take the next step to forward the investigation papers already opened to the Deputy Prosecutor so that all these crimes can be investigated under the Act,” said Asri.
Each violation under the law carries a fine of RM 50,000 (US $ 12,270), as well as a possible jail term.
