Postpone recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, govt urged

 

MTUC said it had suggested that the government focus on training local workers and increasing the salary scale to attract them. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has urged the government to delay the entry of 500,000 Bangladeshi workers who are expected to arrive in Malaysia starting this month.

Its secretary-general, Kamarul Baharin Mansor, said the influx of foreign workers would encourage exploitation and result in forced labour, and endanger companies and jobs held by local workers.

“MTUC objected to the entry of 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers in 2015 on the same grounds and suggested training local workers and increasing the salary scale to attract them.

“After seven years, the government still fails to attract local workers and address the issue of labour shortage,” he said in a statement today.

Kamarul also said Malaysia had been in trouble over allegations of forced labour.

“The ban on palm oil products and gloves from entering the US market is evidence of forced labour in Malaysia,” he said.

He said the government should have taken advantage of the two-year Covid-19 pandemic period to study the readiness of local workers to replace foreign workers.

“MTUC provided its views during an engagement session on the need for foreign workers on Sept 27 last year, stating that the entry of foreign workers should be managed on a government-to-government basis and in specific areas.

“Some foreign workers who were hired as general workers ended up as vehicle drivers, supervisors, clerks, and so on. These jobs should be filled by local workers,” he said.

Kamarul also said the addition of foreign workers would entail an increase in labour department officers to inspect premises that employed foreign workers.

“Has the government increased the number of officers in preparation for these 500,000 foreign workers? Are the number of officers sufficient at present?” he asked.

On Dec 19, Malaysia and Bangladesh signed an MoU on labour recruitment effective until December 2026.

Among other things, the MoU outlined the responsibilities of both countries, including those related to Malaysian employers and Bangladeshi workers as well as the duties of private employment agencies in both countries. - FMT