SME unhappy with blitz on illegal foreign workers

THE SME Association of Malaysia is unhappy with the new government's move to continue with the previous government's policy on foreign labour and started the crackdown on illegal foreign workers immediately upon the expiry of the rehiring programme without consulting stakeholders.
Association president Datuk Michael Kang said the blitz on illegal foreign workers has caused many foreign workers stay away from their workplaces, adding that raids conducted at factories and business outlets have also affected the smooth running of production lines and businesses, Oriental Daily News reported today.
He pointed out that there were many shortcomings including corruption in the implementation of the undocumented foreign workers rehiring programme by the previous administration.
But the new government chose to only listen to immigration officers on matter concerning illegal foreign workers and launched the Ops Mega 3.0 crackdown without consulting all stakeholders, he lamented
Kang said he received many complaints from entrepreneurs that their foreign workers were staying away from workplaces to avoid getting hauled up in raids.
This has affected businesses and production particularly in the manufacturing and services industries.
Warning that a sustained crackdown will affect country's economy for the second half of the year, he said the resultant increase in production cost will eventually be passed on to the consumer.
"Many enterprises are facing a shortage of labour. Today, I have received calls asking me to suggest that the Human Resources Ministry set up a company to source workers, saying operators don't mind paying a fee for the service."
Kang said he will seek a meeting between the ministry and SMEs to address the issue.