Now Putrajaya says foreign worker recruitment suspended

After much backlash, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says the recruitment of foreign workers has been put on hold. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 19, 2016.Putrajaya has put on hold recruitment of foreign workers from all source countries, including Bangladesh, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, one day after signing a deal with Dhaka to send workers here.

Zahid's announcement also comes hours after the human resources minister said not all of the 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers thought to be headed for Malaysia were meant for the country.

Datuk Seri Richard Riot had said the figure was merely the number of Bangladesh citizens registered with their government for employment.

Zahid was speaking in Kuching, Sarawak, today, where he said the suspension was decided after thorough consideration while the government would also review recent changes to the levy system on foreign workers.

Both the new levy system, which imposes a higher payment on employers using foreign workers, and the plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers have been criticised by employer groups and trade unions.

Zahid, who is also home minister, said employers were urged to hire locals instead and the recruitment of foreign labour would be deferred until the need arises.

Additionally, the government would also focus on re-hiring programmes for local workers while increasing enforcement on undocumented migrant labourers.

"Those existing foreign workers, especially whose working permits have expired or are without proper document, they are not allowed to work in Malaysia," Zahid said after a function to meet army personnel at Camp Muara Tuang.

The plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers over three years was announced last year, but only recently did Zahid say that the figure was Bangladesh citizens who had registered with their government for work.

He had also defended the move saying locals did not want to do dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs (3D) and had challenged Malaysian youths to do so.

However, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) had pointed out that many Malaysians were working such jobs, but overseas, such as in Singapore, where the pay was better.

MTUC and MEF have long spoken against Malaysia's over-reliance on foreign labour at the expense of training locals in skilled work, and over the high amount of remittances at around RM30 billion flowing out of the country.

The new levy system has also been a sore point for employers, who must pay RM2,500 per worker in the manufacturing, construction and services sector, and RM1,500 per worker in the plantation and agricultural sector. – February 19, 2016.