Muslim workers lament some Malaysian employers don’t fulfil prayers entitlement during working hours

 

MUSLIM employees are allowed to take to take time off during work hours to perform solat.(prayers)

According to the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM), Muslim employees are permitted 20 minutes for each solat tine and at least 1.5 hours for their Friday’s prayers. This is in line with the Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution which recognises Islam as Malaysia’s official religion of the Federation.

This right was reiterated by career coach Farid Affy (@faridaffy) who stated in a post on the X platform that employees can lodge a complaint against employers who fail to adhere to such ruling.

“Employers CANNOT cut wages or extend work hours because of solat,” asserted the social media influencer.

Farid’s post which amassed 1.8M views at time of publication has elicited a fair number of responses. A few commenters queried the veracity of the poster’s proclamation.

However, one netizen, quite rightly pointed to the relevant legislation pertaining to this matter.

One netizen recounted joining a new company which did NOT provide for prayer time following which he decided to quit the company without second thought. Stating that there are opportunities everywhere, he would now ask potential employers first if prayer times are allocated for Friday’s prayers.

Another commenter reckoned that the human resource departments tend to be in cahoots with company management in NOT allowing employees to perform their religious obligations.

One pointed to the fact that some employments are on contracts calculated on an hourly basis. Employees need to fulfill such quota regardless (time-off is given but has to be replaced later).

Some commenters further noted that certain employers had little regard for such rules and regulations, hence has no qualms to cut wages when employees are late returning from prayers.

Another reminded the poster of the harsh reality of the employment market in Malaysia.

Some hinted at abuses that perhaps lead to employers unhappy for giving this provision (ie napping). With one revealing that a supervisor would conduct spot check in the surau!

One netizen pointedly noted that certain Chinese-owned enterprises would not be happy with this provision.

With another stating that many companies would then rather hire non-Muslims as a cost saving exercise or as a means to achieve the KPIs (key performance indicators).

While another netizen made the pertinent observation that perhaps it is better for Malaysia to declare Fridays as a non-working day.

Merely guidelines or otherwise, employers must be made are that time allocation for their Muslim staff to perform prayers is something non-negotiable. It is worth repeating that this right is enshrined in law and errant employers can be reported to the authorities.

However, the economic reality means that many employees, especially those in the B40 segment who are on hourly wages, will find it difficult to demand this privilege. – Focus Malaysia