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 MTUC/ILO MRC team shared similar motives with the Bangladesh Embassy as we joined forces to provide assistance to Bangladeshi workers who have lost their source of income due to the COVID -19 pandemic.
The team of 11 MTUC officials was led by the MTUC/ILO Northern Region MRC Officer, Sis Nagshaathiree T. with the assistance of Bro Chee of NUBE, managed to cover the whole of Penang, inclusive of both mainland and island in a day.
We also wish to appreciate the representative of EIWU, EIEUR and NUBE who assisted in the distribution.
The day started off with a briefing on Safety and Health by the MTUC/ILO MRC Officer. All volunteers were provided with safety equipment amounting to face masks, gloves and sanitizers. We made sure to emphasize on the need to minimize unnecessary contact as well as to always have their face masks on. They were also requested to keep their hands clean and away from their face at all times. The team made sure to maintain the recommended social distance.
They were then provided with their distribution list which was categorized by areas in Penang before proceeding to collect the food items.
Upon accepting the goods to be distributed, the team were off to their spots to meet these Bangladeshi workers.
During this fruitful outreach, we managed to cover 111 locations, using 5 cars. Besides the food item, we also provided the Bangladeshis with flyers that informed them on the constant availability of assistance from the Northern Region MRC. They were reassured that we will always try our best to assist them. The dedications and teamwork of these volunteers made our shared goals possible.
We would like to thank our volunteers once again for being great team players. The MTUC/ILO MRC also deeply appreciates all assistance provided by the team lead by Dato’ Shaik Ismail of the Bangladesh Embassy (Penang). We certainly look forward to reaching out to more Bangladeshi workers, together.
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com