Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) chief executive Datuk Hamzah
Hasan said the industry realised that changes had to be made in order to become
less dependent on foreign labour.
<p>He said the designs of many new condominiums, schools, factories and even police
stations now take IBS into account, which includes steel roof trusses, pre-cast
frames, walls and slabs, and prefabricated partitions. </p>
<p>"This greatly speeds up construction time as well as improves the quality
of construction and reduces site wastage," he said in a statement recently.
</p>
<p>"However, the construction sector still requires foreign workers; and
these will be supplied from a number of countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan,
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. </p>
<p>"The amnesty for illegal immigrant workers was a wake-up call to all employers,
including building and construction companies, that employment policies must
change in relation to over-dependency on foreign labour. </p>
<p>"That is also why the Government has given financial incentives to developers
to use IBS in their designs," Hamzah added.
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