Bringing in Bangladeshis will not affect jobs for locals

The foreign workers are necessary to fill positions considered dirty, dangerous, and difficult which are not taken up by locals, says ministry.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will ensure that the import of Bangladeshi workers will not affect job opportunities for locals, the home ministry said today.

The ministry also said the labour market would not be affected as the Bangladeshi workers would only be allowed to work in the construction, manufacturing, farming, agriculture and services sectors.

“The proposal to bring in 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh was made after considering the needs of the industries to fill positions that are not popular with locals.

“However, the government will also be cautious so that job opportunities for locals are not affected,” the ministry said in a written reply to a question from Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru), which was circulated in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Sim wanted to know the rationale behind the government’s proposal to bring in 1.5 million workers from Bangladesh to work in the country.

Replying to a question from Mohd Idris Jusi (PKR-Batu Pahat) who wanted to know if the move would lead to social problems, the ministry said the government was aware of this challenging issue.

However, it added that it was necessary to fill positions considered dirty, dangerous, and difficult.

Therefore, the ministry said it was limiting these workers to the five sectors and imposing health screenings for the first three years.

Apart from that, the group of workers would only be allowed to enter Malaysia via Visas With Reference, and their biometrics would be recorded in the National Enforcement Registration System.

The government would also ensure that all migrant workers were issued Temporary Employment Visit Passes that had to be renewed annually, so that they could be continously monitored.
The ministry said it would also continue to track down, arrest, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants.

“Stern action will also be imposed on employers who violated the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963, such as employing and harbouring illegal immigrants,” he said.

The ministry said it would implement the concept of ‘strict liability’, which required employers to be fully responsible for foreign workers, from the application stage, to the time the workers were sent back.

The home ministry said it would also work closely with the human resources ministry and all other regulatory and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the foreign workers remained under control.

– BERNAMA