Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Its president Datuk Azman Shah Harun said the federation had agreed to the formation of the committee at the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) meeting on Nov 15.
<p>The committee, to comprise the government, MEF and the Malaysian Trades Union
Congress (MTUC), will be chaired by the Human Resource Ministry’s secretary-general.</p>
<p>It will meet on Nov 22, to discuss among others, its (committee’s) mechanism.</p>
<p>"We agreed to this because what the MEF has in mind is a model called
`flexicurity’ that is gaining interest among labour market policy-makers, especially
in developed countries," he told reporters at the MEF National Conference
2007 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here Monday.</p>
<p>Flexicurity is, in essence, a policy combining flexibility in the employment
contract and security for workers through new training opportunities to improve
employability, job search assistance, income support and social protection.</p>
<p>"For example, if an employee is displaced, there ought to be some form
of social security. However, we do not intend to create a dole mentality within
the proposed formula," said Azman.</p>
<p>He said MEF felt that if social security net was introduced in the form of
a fund, the current provisions in the collective agreements for retrenchment
benefits and provision for termination benefits under the Employment (Termination
and Lay-off Benefits) Regulations 1980, should be waived as such payment would
then be made by the fund.</p>
<p>On Nov 15, Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn after chairing
the NLAC meeting, had said the ministry would form a committee comprising representatives
of the government, employers and trade unions to study assistance schemes for
workers laid off due to mergers or company restructuring.</p>
<p>Azman said the MEF also felt that the promotion of part-time work could further
boost Malaysia’s efforts to be less dependent on foreign workers. Currently,
the labour laws are unclear in distinguishing the position of part-timers and
full-time employees.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, when opening the two-day conference, Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, said the country’s labour laws, inherited
from British colonial rule, were being reviewed to suit today’s globalised environment.</p>
<p>"For example, if the emphasis in the past has been on security of tenure,
today there is a need for the labour laws to focus on the employability of workers,"
he said.</p>
<p>Dompok added that the system of human resource development covering its management
structure, as well as the legislative framework which governed the relationship
between employer and employee were being revamped to enable the nation to meet
its goals, particularly Vision 2020, and beyond.</p>
<p>– BERNAMA</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=297076</i>
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