Throw book at errant employers, agents: MEF

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has urged the authorities to act against employers, agents and those responsible for bringing in 171 Bangladeshi workers but failed to provide them any work or pay their salaries since they arrived in Malaysia.

The workers, who were brought in legally, recently walked to the Bayu Damai police station in Kota Tinggi, Johor, which is about 10km away from their accommodation premises.

They went there to lodge police reports against their agent for not providing them jobs since their arrival three months ago.

MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said MEF’s position is that stern action should be taken against businesses, recruitment agents and other related parties who abused their positions to exploit the workers.

“MEF calls for the strictest action to be taken against those responsible, as their conduct jeopardised human life and the country’s image.

“As a member of the governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), we cannot support relaxed measures in such serious cases.”

Syed Hussain said the Migration for Employment Convention (Revised) 1949 (No. 97) requires states to facilitate international migration for employment by establishing and maintaining assistance and information services for migrant workers.

“This includes provisions on appropriate medical services for migrant workers and the transfer of earnings and savings. States have to apply treatment no less favourable than that applicable to locals.

“The ILO Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention 1975 (No. 143) provides for measures to combat clandestine and illegal migration while at the same time sets forth the general obligations to respect the basic human rights of all migrant workers.”

Syed Hussain said MEF fully supports the call made by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said for an immediate investigation into the recruitment agents responsible for duping the migrant workers in the Johor case.

Her call came after the media reported police had arrested the group in Kota Tinggi, adding that the incident was “only the tip of the iceberg”.