malaysia
Ministry must step up enforcement to legalise workers, says Nur Jazlan
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed says the Home Ministry will start taking legal action if employers refuse to register their foreign workers. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Fiqah Mokhtar, March 9, 2016.Enforcement in the rehiring programme to legalise foreign workers needs to be stepped up, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed says, admitting that the lukewarm response from employers is because of weak enforcement by the ministry.
Speaking at a press conference after a walkabout at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya today, Nur Jazlan said legal action would also be taken against employers who refused to register their illegal workers.
“The response is not satisfactory because the enforcement was not intensive,” he said when asked about the response on the programme.
“Employers have been slow to register their workers.
“I managed to catch a lot of illegal workers during my 20-minute walkabout in the One Utama Shopping Centre today,” he said.
The Pulai MP said the ministry and its agencies would shift their focus to business outlets in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru.
He said more than 2,000 employers have registered their illegal foreign workers, resulting in some 12,000 foreign workers legalised under the programme.
“I will order the Immigration Department to no longer tolerate by issuing compound, legal action will be taken against employers if they are found hiring illegal foreign workers in this period.”
He said foreign workers who worked in different sectors from their work permits would also be considered as illegal.
He said not only the ministry could act against employers under the Immigration Act, but the Anti- Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) could also be used if employers were found guilty of abusing their foreign workers.
“Don’t take it lightly that when you are caught you will only be compounded and that’s it. If need be, we will push for a jail term under the Immigration Act.”
He said the ministry would also investigate complaints and reports on police and immigration officers suspected of being bribed by employers.
Online service provider MY E.G Services Bhd (MyEG) had been appointed by the ministry to manage the rehiring programme.
The programme is aimed at giving an opportunity to foreigners working illegally in the country and entailed issuing of valid work permits to meet labour demands in specific sectors after tight screening. – March 9, 2016.
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