‘Locals not interested’ a flimsy excuse to bring foreign workers, says MTUC

 

The government announced recently that 32,000 foreign workers will arrive soon to work in the plantation sector.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has told the government not to allow the recruitment of 32,000 foreign workers for plantations on the flimsy excuse that local workers are not interested in taking up such jobs.

This comes after plantation industries and commodities minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said that 32,000 foreign workers for the plantation sector will arrive in Malaysia starting from the middle of the month.

“The views of the minister are very unfavourable towards Malaysians,” MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor said in a statement.

Zuraida also said there was a need to import these workers as Malaysians were not ready to take up harvesting jobs in the plantation sector.

Kamarul refuted the claim, stating that the main issue among locals was the disproportionate wages for plantation jobs in the country.

“Malaysians are willing to work in Australia and Singapore in rough, dangerous and dirty jobs because of the good salaries,” he said.

He said that the government needs to take the initiative to lure local workers to the plantation sector by providing them with wages that are above the National Poverty Line of RM2,208, as basic pay for the hard work that they put in.

Kamarul added that it was also not right to call for Malaysians to change their attitude and be willing to accept low wages. - FMT