PETALING JAYA: Human resources minister M Saravanan said he had discussed the postponement of the implementation of the amendments to the Employment Act 1955 with the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).
He said the decision to postpone the implementation of the amendments from Sept 1 to Jan 1, 2023 was made after studying the views of all quarters, Bernama reported.
MTUC had slammed the government over its decision, with its secretary-general, Kamarul Baharin Mansor, saying it was surprised by the “flip-flop”, as it had just announced earlier this month that the amendments would be enforced from Sept 1.
He said the government had not consulted with them regarding the postponement.
Saravanan said the deferment was to give time for employers to address their problems on the shortage of workers and recruitment of foreign workers.
He said implementation of the amended law was deferred upon request by the employers themselves.
“The employers need time and their request to defer implementation of the amended law is rational,” he told reporters after opening the 23rd Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here today.
The amended Employment Act, among other things, reduces the working hours from 48 hours to 45 hours a week. Maternity leave has been increased from 60 days to 98 days while paternity leave has increased from three days to seven days.
Saravanan said 47,000 foreign workers had entered the country so far, including 19,000 Nepali citizens.
He refuted claims that the cost of hiring foreign workers was too high, saying that it was at “zero cost”.
However, he said employers who hired foreign workers had to cover the cost of accommodation and flight fares.
He advised employers who had paid the levy for their foreign workers to submit the relevant documents to the relevant authorities for further action. - FMT
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