Fong Chan Onn: Employers Who Mistreat Foreign Workers Will Be Penalised. Don't Just Talk, DO It
Employers responsible for mistreating Bangladeshi workers will not be let off the hook. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said he had instructed Manpower Department officials to investigate complaints about alleged mistreatment of Bangladeshi workers.
He said if the complaints were legitimate, the employers would be brought to court and blacklisted from hiring foreign workers.
"I have asked the Manpower Department officials to have a look at the complaints. If it is true that there are employers who recruited the foreign workers but did not pay the due salaries, we will not compromise with them. They will be penalised. We will bring them to court," he told a press conference on Tuesday.
"I am disappointed because the situation portrays a negative image of the country," he said, adding that the employers could be charged under the Employment Act.
Dr Fong was asked to comment about 770 disgruntled Bangladeshi workers who arrived in Malaysia between January and April, claiming that they were promised by four textile factory proprietors’ a monthly salary of RM1,200 but ended up getting only RM200 or less. (The Star)
***** Only the first part of what Fong said will take place. He will ask his pegawai2 to investigate. Period. The 'investigations' will be a foregone conclusion. Money would change hands and his officers would exonerate the 'innocent' employers, putting the entire blame on the workers themselves or unnamed 'agents' in their home country.
Fong has no time to waste on such lowly paid foreign workers. He is preoccupied with MCA politics and the upcoming general elections. His officers are preoccupied with making money. That's how the Human Resources kapal has been sailing all this while.
It is laughable Fong is soooo... worried that the situation portrays a negative image of the country! In the area of foreigners, including workers and tourists, our name and whatever so-called image we have, has been tarnished almost beyond repair. We've screwed up nationals of many countries, ranging from highly qualified IT experts from India to labourers from Indonesia. And how can we forget the indignity suffered by an elderly American couple by our khalwat-obsessed religious police?
Employers have been abusing foreign workers with impunity because they know that the ministry and the enforcement people will not lift a finger to prosecute them. Either the employers 'buy' their way out of trouble or they get some big shot to lay on some strong political pressure and force the few honest fellas in the department to rein in their enthusiasm. Semuanya will continue to be OK!
Image - Source
Labels: Corruption, Cruelty., Inefficient Government Department, Malaysia Boleh, Unfair
posted by The Malaysian. at 10/09/2007 06:57:00 PM
3 Comments:
Bangla workers have been promised by Malaysian cheats a monthly salary of RM1,200 but ended up getting only RM200 or less since the 1970s.
Either their TV and newspapers do not report these cases or Bangladeshis don't watch TV or read newspapers. If it is due to the former, the first thing these cheated Banglas should do on reaching home is to burn down their TV stations and news publishers.
Firstly, the pertinent question is: How many employers have been charged in court for mistreating or abusing foreign workers todate? How many recruitment agents have been punished or charge in court for inhumanely exploiting foreign labor intake? Or recruiting illegal foreign workers? The answer will be revealing.
The whole government machinery at the moment is just not "walking the talk". Just publicity talks and the brand of this government is "NATO", no action, talk only. Anyway, it is not new that this country's image is down the drain, for years now, even in China, our country's image is pretty obvious if you have been to China. Just mention that you are from Malaysia and see the reactions immediately. lastly, the abovementioned minister is very near the exit door and the chances of him re-appointing as the HR minister after the GE is like the expecting the sun to rising from the west direction. You are right, the money spinning machine is not from this ministry but lies in the approval minister on foreign labor intake: millions ringgit are being collected by agents and the corrupted officials. There is alot of allegations on this can of worms. Foreign labor approvals.
donkey
Our inefficient GLC & big corporations like MAS bring in cheap foreign labour through labour contract supply company & somebody get "rich" in the process.
We have SME companies employing foreigners but they cheated & failed to pay their foreign worker's wages.
Now we have bus companies proposing to hire foreign drivers to overcome artificail shortages i.e. they pay paltry sum/wages to local drivers & indirectly forced them to overworked with insufficient sleep/rest.
Then the foreign labour importing agents/cronies working in cohort with various ministries/government agencies rake in tons of monies in the foreign labour recruitment exercise. Everybody become rich in the process.
Our southern brothers i.e. Johoreans crossing over to Singapore to get a better & decent paid jobs.
Can we blame our local workers?? This country is being badly managed by our third class ministers & politicians. Or may I propose to import foreigners to replace our ministers to solve this problems? How about getting Singaporeans & Indonesian as our ministers on labour contract supply basis??
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