Set up RCI on migrant workers issue, labour group tells govt

 

North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira (second from left) and LLRC co-chairmen N Gopal Kishnam (centre) and Irene Xavier (second from right) at a media conference today.

PETALING JAYA: The Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) wants the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe corruption in the migrant worker management system.

The group said an RCI is warranted following the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation into the recruitment of foreign workers and the links to the human resources ministry.

LLRC co-chairman Irene Xavier described the case as “alarming” and said an RCI is needed to look into the whole system.

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“The RCI should also look into companies involved in the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System, related service providers, and foreign recruitment agencies.

“We need to adopt a holistic approach to address the corruption in the system. No one should treat migrant workers as commodities and make a profit out of it,” she told a press conference in conjunction with Labour Day tomorrow.

Meanwhile, North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said corruption in relation to foreign worker recruitment is nothing new.

“While the government has made an attempt to improve the process of recruiting migrant workers over the past few years, similar issues have occurred.

“Fast forward to today, we find hundreds of migrant workers being brought into the country without job placements.

“This is shocking. The question is, which officials or ministry approved visas for these workers when jobs are not being allocated?” he said.

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Pereira was referring to an operation conducted by the labour department which rescued 226 foreign workers living in wretched conditions in Bandar Baru Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, early this month.

Human resources minister V Sivakumar had said that they were brought through the foreign workers’ quota approved for four companies in March but have yet to find work as promised.

On a similar subject, Pereira urged the government to declassify the report by the Special Committee on Foreign Worker Scenario and Management which was formed in 2018 under the Pakatan Harapan-led government.

“Please make it public. We have to find the root cause of the problem,” he said. - FMT