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PETALING JAYA: After a confusing 24 hours, the government clarified who should and who does not have to work from home in areas under the conditional movement control order in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Sabah and Selangor.
Defense Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said that the work-from-home directive from today until the end of the conditional MCO only applies to government officials in the management and supervision categories who do not need to be in the office and industries registered in the framework of International Trade and Industry. Ministry (MITI).
Only foreign construction workers and security guards should do swab testing. Those working on the site in the red zones are encouraged to do so.
Ismail Sabri said workers in essential services, security and the informal sector are exempt from this directive.
On October 20, Ismail Sabri said that managers and supervisors at the site would have to test for Covid-19.
He added that the National Security Council directive was aimed at limiting the movement of people and preventing new Covid-19 infections.
“This is a directive, not a suggestion from the government. Workers of various categories will work from home, ”he said Tuesday, indicating that the Department of Public Services and MITI will issue more information on the directive.
With that announcement and no other details, employers and employees in conditional MCO areas were left guessing if the directive applied to them.
As the ruling takes place today, industry organizations raised concerns about the lack of details on the directive.
The President of the Federation of Manufacturers of Malaysia (FMM), Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, said that there is still a lack of clarity on the requirement for swab testing.
“Will it be for all staff who continue to work, or only for those in the red zone areas, or only for staff who are exempt from the WFH directive based on the flexibility provided?
“The process and time required for workers to work in offices and factories to perform hyssop tests could affect operations,” Soh said in a statement yesterday.
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said the 10% share of supervisors and managers on site would be a problem for smaller companies.
“For small businesses, assuming you have five people in managerial or supervisory positions, then one person would already be considered 20% of that team.
“Does that mean they can’t get into the office? So who would run the operations?
“It is also peculiar why this directive is limited to only those in managerial and supervisory roles.
“Many employers have already adopted WFH arrangements, with only about 50% of the workforce in the office,” said Shamsuddin, when contacted.
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