Malaysian agency earns global grant for 'safer labour migration' policies

 

An effort by a local recruitment agency to promote safer labour migration from source countries to Malaysia did not go unnoticed as the company earned support from the US-based Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS).

The Pinkcollar Employment Agency (Pinkcollar) today announced it has been awarded a US$200,000 (RM890,000) grant to be utilised for its expansion into two areas - Indonesia as a new source country and placement in the local manufacturing sector.

Pinkcollar, in a statement, also announced the appointment of Refuge for Refugees founder Heidy Quah as the company's new project manager to lead its expansion in Indonesia, building on her experience working with various stakeholders to form policies that protect the rights of migrants in Malaysia.

Heidy Quah

When contacted, Quah said Pinkcollar aims to set its operations apart from other recruitment agencies via the company's hiring processes, eliminating "middle persons and brokers" in source countries who have been linked to issues of human trafficking and debt bondage upon the workers' arrival here.

"For example, we use social media to leverage worker recruitment, enabling us to cut out middle persons and brokers that often contribute to human trafficking and debt bondage in the market.

"This allows us to reduce our candidate acquisition cost," Quah told Malaysiakini today.

At the same time, Quah said Pinkcollar also offers employers better job retention of hired workers without resorting to "forced labour practises" such as retaining passports or any form of movement restrictions.

"We utilise better worker vetting, training, matching and post-placement services to encourage workers to work well in jobs and encourage better job retention for our clients," she said.

Prior to its expansion, Pinkcollar had focused on the recruitment and placement of domestic workers from the Philippines in Malaysian households.

"The Covid-19 pandemic abruptly halted international labour migration to Malaysia, with borders closing for over two years.

"With 2022 as the year of border reopening and economic recovery, we are humbled to have GFEMS’ support, which will ensure the continuity and expansion of Pinkcollar’s impact in the migrant recruitment space," said Zenna Law, Pinkcollar co-founder and chief executive officer.

Supporting safe labour

Commenting on support for Pinkcollar, GFEMS chief operating officer Helen Taylor said the body recognises that migration can be a force for good and is committed to supporting safe labour for migrants.

"The fund's previous investment in ethical recruitment firms has saved workers millions of dollars in debt.

"GFEMS believes this model can sustainably reduce exploitation and we're thrilled to work with Pinkcollar to ensure at-risk Indonesian workers are placed in safe jobs," said Taylor.

GFEMS was launched in 2017 by a group of anti-trafficking experts to coordinate global anti-slavery efforts via distributions of funds.

Malaysia has enforced a "zero-cost policy" on migrant workers from all source countries employed here, preventing employers from making any deductions from their workers' salaries to recoup payments made as part of the hiring process.

However, Human Resources Minister M Saravanan previously said Malaysia has no control over any costs incurred by migrant workers in source countries prior to their arrivals, a situation which has been attributed to a cycle of debt bondage and forced labour.

This year, Malaysia also once again fell to the lowest rank in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2022, maintaining its lowest status - in Tier 3 - for a second consecutive year.

Among 15 repeated priority recommendations listed in the report released last month include for Malaysia to take steps to eliminate recruitment or placement fees charged to foreign workers. - Mkini