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 review includes the Employment Act 1955, the Industrial Relations Act 1967,
the Workmen Compensation Act 1952, the Human Resources Act 2001, the Trade Union
Act 1959 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.
<p>Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said the review was to ensure adequate
protection and welfare to employees in terms of their basic entitlement, training
and skills upgrading, occupational safety and health, retrenchment and termination
benefits and other vital issues in human resource management.</p>
<p>This, he said, included sexual harassment and the employment of foreign workers.</p>
<p>In developing human capital, the ministry would continue to ensure that productivity
be given serious attention by both employers and employees.</p>
<p>As such, Dr Fong said, special programmes to promote the Productivity Linked
Wages System (PLWS) would be launched this year. PLWS is a system which establishes
a closer link between wages and productivity so as to enhance competitiveness.</p>
<p>These include the setting up of the PLWS website and drafting of PLWS Guidelines,
giving awards to companies that have successfully implemented the system, setting
up a database and attachment programme for industrial relations officers in
companies with PLWS.</p>
<p>Dr Fong said a total of 12.4 million people would be employed in Malaysia in
2010 as the government estimates the employment rate to grow at 1.9 per cent
annually during the Ninth Malaysia Plan period.</p>
<p>This will see an additional 1.1 million jobs in the market.</p>
<p>Of this number, 462,600 jobs, or 30 per cent, would be in the manufacturing
sector.</p>
<p>Dr Fong said developing human capital and realising its potential would contribute
to higher productivity and sustained economic growth.</p>
<p>"Based on feedback from employers, the ministry understands that attracting,
recruiting and retaining quality employees has become an increasingly challenging
task in view of globalisation," he said in his keynote address at the Federation
of Malaysian Manufacturers Human Resource Conference 2007 recently.</p>
<p>"Based on this assessment, I think organisations would need to be more
people-oriented and the task of the human resource manager will become more
challenging."</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/20070623085619/Article</i>
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