Malaysian authorities recently rescued a total of 226 Bangladeshi and Nepalese workers from non-conducive living conditions at a transit home in Negri Sembilan.
“We noticed they were 3 levels with each floor, approximately 1,800sqft, accommodating over 60 individuals.
“This is a violation of the law and dangerous. If there happens to be a fire and so on, what would be their fate?” Sivakumar told reporters after the raid.
“They were clueless as to what was happening and were very worried. Some were even shedding tears,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said prior to the spot check at a dormitory in Nilai, the ministry had received a complaint from the Bangladeshi Embassy.
The dormitory was a converted shop lot housing 226 Bangladeshi and Nepali workers.
Sivakumar said he found the conditions cramped and appalling.
“The ministry has relocated all 226 workers occupying the uncertified dormitory to a centralized labor quarters (CLQ) in Bandar Baru Nilai,” it said in a statement on Monday.
According to the ministry, the group of 226 workers was among the 608 individuals hired by four companies in the janitorial services industry and the 390 employees hired by a single manufacturing company.
These hires were part of a larger quota of 1,719 migrant workers that had been authorized for these businesses.
The ministry further reported that a considerable number of these workers had not yet commenced their assigned tasks, and a few were assigned to industries other than the ones they were promised.
“These workers were brought in to work in the janitorial sub-sector as well as the manufacturing sector.
“However, 327 workers were still out of work and the rest had been placed in sectors they were not allowed to work in,” he said, adding that a total of four investigation papers had been opened under Section 24D of the Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990.
The law stipulates that employee housing must have a certificate from the Labour Department director-general.
An employer who houses an employee in an uncertified accommodation is liable to a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction and a jail term of not more than one year or both.
The World Bank data indicates that there are around 2.9 to 3.3 million migrant workers in Malaysia, of which roughly 1.5 million have irregular employment.
The remaining millions are undocumented, without protection. But most of them are employed and continue to make a significant contribution to the economy and the nation’s future.
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