Govt to blacklist employers who outsource migrant workers

 

The government will blacklist employers who outsource their workers, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

“We will blacklist employers and take action against any recruitment agency which outsources migrant workers,” he said.

Saifuddin clarified that the Human Resources Ministry was not responsible for monitoring the outsourcing of migrant workers, but it is in line with government policy, which strictly prohibits such practices.

“The government policy is that outsourcing migrant workers is not allowed,” he said.

Speaking to reporters today after a joint committee meeting on migrant worker management between the two ministries, he affirmed the government’s stance against outsourcing.

However, when asked about the specific actions that would be taken against those involved in outsourcing and perpetuating forced labour, Saifuddin was unable to provide details or mention the specific laws that could be utilised.

Earlier today, concerns were raised by migrant rights stakeholders who shared their fears that companies were still engaging in outsourcing their migrant workers despite its ban half a decade ago in March 2019.

This was fuelled by the Human Resources Ministry’s admission that monitoring entities that were involved in outsourcing do not fall under its jurisdiction.

Stakeholders revealed to Malaysiakini that all the companies that have been reported to the Labour Department for alleged outsourcing of migrant workers, continued to operate.

1,120 jobless migrants to be placed

While the government was looking into measures to find job placements for 1,120 new arrivals who were jobless in Malaysia, Saifuddin said the agents will be blacklisted.

“We know who they are. I can’t say how many, but we will take action,” he assured.

The majority of the 1,120 workers who arrived in Malaysia when the government had relaxed conditions for quota approvals, were intended for jobs in the cleaning sector.

“Most of them are from Bangladesh,” he said, although he was unable to provide an exact number of individuals who have already secured new employment.

Inter-govt MOU not for public view

Emphasising Malaysia’s efforts to combat human trafficking, Saifuddin highlighted the ongoing scrutiny from the US State Department until next March.

He said the bilateral labour migration agreements played a crucial role in this regard.

He said the memorandum of understanding with each of the 15 labour-sending counties were fluid, evolving documents and Malaysia would review them to better address the human trafficking issue.

This is with the objective of enhancing measures addressing the trafficking of migrant labour, thereby improving Malaysia’s ranking in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, specifically, it’s standing on the Tier Two Watch List.

“We want to improve the rights of workers and employers,” he added.

Nevertheless, in direct contradiction to the transparency provisions in the National Action Plan on Forced Labour, which explicitly commits to publishing the memorandums of understanding, Saifiddin asserted that the MOUs were not intended for public access.

“These documents are strictly between governments, outlining the mechanisms of labour migration.

“Some countries have also detailed the role of agents in these processes,” he said.

This year, Malaysia has moved up from the lowest tier in the US State Department's TIP Report to Tier 2 Watch List, which includes countries that, while not fully meeting the US minimum standards, are actively working toward addressing the issue. - Mkini