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?
The Union Network International’s Malaysia Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) president Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal said that due to high petrol prices and the rise in consumer goods, people were struggling to make ends meet and had to take on two to three jobs to survive.
<P>“If the employer can start with RM100 as a special
relief allowance (SRA), that’s good enough,” he told reporters yesterday
after the official opening of the Conference on Occupational Safety and Health
for the Services Sector by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Mohamed Shafie gave the
welcoming speech at the opening ceremony. </P><P>Mohamed Shafie, who is also the
Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) deputy president, believed the proposal
had the backing of all other trade unions in the country because the workers were
facing the same problem. </P><P>Last year, MTUC raised the issue of the special
allowance with the Human Resources Minister and the Malaysian Employers Federation.</P><P><I>Source:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/27/nation/17261677&sec=nation</I>
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