Don’t let transit centres for foreign workers add to red tape, govt told

 The government is also cautioned against allowing such centres to become 'de facto detention centres'.

MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said while the initiative has the potential to systematise the documentation of foreign workers and their health check-ups, its effectiveness will hinge on implementation. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The government has been urged to ensure that transit centres for foreign workers do not become another layer of bureaucracy or “de facto detention centres”.

Syed Hussain Syed Husman.

Malaysian Employers Federation president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said while the initiative had the potential to systematise the documentation of foreign workers and their health check-ups, its effectiveness would hinge on implementation.

“If it only serves to add another layer of procedure, approval or documentation, it will only delay foreign worker placement,” he told FMT.

He also said that delays could impact output in critical sectors such as manufacturing, construction, plantation and agriculture.

R Ramanan.

Earlier this month, human resources minister R Ramanan said the government had approved the establishment of transit centres to house foreign workers upon their arrival, before they are picked up by their employers.

Ramanan said the centres were intended to ease congestion at airports and ensure that workers are handed over only to the employers who hired them.

Syed Hussain said employers were already incurring significant costs, including for levies, visas, transportation and the lodging of foreign workers as well as legal compliance costs.

He said any new fees would increase operational costs, especially for micro, small and medium-size enterprises.

Glorene Das.

Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said a transit facility could reduce certain forms of exploitation that occur immediately upon arrival.

However, she said the distinction between transit and detention centres “must not exist only in name”.

She said any stay should be strictly time-bound and limited to the shortest period necessary, and that workers must not be subjected to arbitrary confinement or coercion.

“Workers should retain possession of their passports, personal documents, mobile phones and means of communication throughout their stay,” she said.

She said rights bodies such as Suhakam should also be granted access to monitor the living conditions at these temporary facilities.

However, she also questioned the establishment of transit centres as a government priority.

“Rather than creating new facilities, Malaysia should undertake a comprehensive review of its labour migration system and develop a policy that addresses the root causes of exploitation, including unethical recruitment, fraudulent employers, corruption, contract substitution and forced labour,” she said. - FMT