A young graduate was allegedly dismissed from his internship after just nine weeks and had his deposit of RM1,500 forfeited by his employer.
The psychology major discovered the internship programme at a counselling centre in Petaling Jaya through a website and successfully qualified for the placement after attending an interview.
According to China Press, his mother said that he had hoped to gain some experience before pursuing his master’s degree. She added that the company required interns to pay a deposit of RM1,500.
It was also alleged that he was not the only intern to have been treated in this manner.
ALSO READ: Student fails internship for calling out boss who body shamed her
“We understood the unpaid aspect, as some industries still don’t offer pay to interns. As for the deposit, we thought perhaps the centre was concerned interns might leave halfway through, so we didn’t object,” she was quoted as saying.
She also mentioned that the company provided a contract stating that an intern would be dismissed upon receiving two warning letters, and the deposit would be forfeited — although it allegedly lacked specific details on what constituted a violation.
The intern received his first warning letter after clocking in late — a delay reportedly caused by the individual responsible for opening the door arriving late.
The second warning letter was issued after he responded to a client’s enquiry while another staff member was unavailable. The chat history was allegedly deleted afterwards.
ALSO READ: Employer allegedly grant woman only 3 days leave following miscarriage, sparks outrage online
The centre then accused him of misusing its communication platform and claimed a breach of confidentiality.
Following that, his contract was terminated and the deposit was forfeited.
During his nine-week internship at the centre, three other interns were also reportedly dismissed, including one who was terminated on their first day for making an emergency phone call.
The mother added that she and her son sought assistance from the police and a lawyer, but were unsuccessful in their efforts to seek justice — particularly after the lawyer allegedly attempted to contact other affected interns, who were unwilling to speak out due to fear of repercussions.
