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?
He said the ministry has sent its officers and representatives from the Malaysian
Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) to visit the United Kingdom and Australia to study their reformed employment act.
<P>"The
consensus is that we need to look into removing some of the rigidity of the employment
law so that the enterprises and companies in Malaysia can be more competitive,"
he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Federal Territory
Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) tower office here today.</P><P>Fong said
the social safety net should be put in place so that a fund can be used to provide
temporary support to the affected workers.</P><P>He said the retrenchment fund
will be contributed by both employers and employees, and was confident that the
system can take into consideration the interests of both parties.</P><P>Some employers
are unhappy about having to contribute to the fund while the MTUC has said the
existing Employment Act is already adequate for companies to maintain global competitiveness.</P><P>Fong
said while the government has taken note of employers’ request for changes to
the law, they should also play a role in looking after the affected workers.</P><P>He
also urged the MTUC leadership to look at both sides of story. "If they (companies)
cannot expand, they cannot create more jobs," he added.</P>
<P><I>Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=16572</I>
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