There is one issue you will hardly hear about in the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign – even thought it affects one in three workers in the country.
Now, why would politicians who are desperate for votes ignore the concerns of one in three workers?
Perhaps it’s because when we talk about workers, we rarely think of the migrant workers in the country. Yes, one out of every three workers in the country is a migrant worker.
For the last two days I have been in Shah Alam attending a National Consultation on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers organised by Tenaganita, the Bar Council, Aliran and Caram Asia.
I thought this often neglected issue was important enough to take a break from the flurry of activity in Permatang Pauh.
One of the main concerns is that employers or agents often hold the passports of migrant workers – in violation of the Passports Act. This allows them near total control of the workers.
Another serious concern is the denial of their right to join trade unions. A senior official from the Human Resources Ministry told the participants that there is nothing to stop migrant workers from joining trade unions. As far as the Ministry is concerned, the law does not stop them from joining trade unions.
But then, works permits and employment contracts often carry a clause barring migrant workers from joining persatuan (associations), which includes kesatuan (trade unions). Apparently, such clauses stem from a Home Ministry policy.
So the question is which has greater legal force: the law of the land or a Home Ministry policy?
Much abuse also occurs when outsourcing firms bring in workers into the country. A lot of money is at stake in bringing in these workers. But often the poor workers end up stranded without proper jobs in the country.
Unfortunately, not many politicians, including parliamentarians, care about the plight of migrant workers. Why is that?
Fong Po Kuan, the rare MP who made space in her busy schedule to attend the entire two-day consultation, knows the reason. “It’s because migrant workers do not carry any votes. Therefore many politicians, who might otherwise be interested in defending human rights, are not interested in these workers.”
Her concern for migrant workers and her willingness to admit that she has a lot more to learn about the issue impressed many of the participants. In her, the migrant workers have a friend in Parliament.
The other MP who spoke at the forum was R Sivarasa, a long-time human rights activist.
As for the MTUC, it has come a long way. Under the leadership of Syed Shahir, the umbrella body of trade unions has moved from an anti-migrant workers stance to one that considers migrant workers as workers too.
With more people getting involved in the cause, there is hope yet that we can do something to protect the rights of migrant workers and grant them the same rights as Malaysian workers.
anil,
This migrant workers i believe are two groups.
1.The skill – mostsly Indonesian – well paid – earn better than Malaysian.
2.The unskill – very lowly paid – mostly from India and Bangladesh and Burma- There are mostly promise higher salary by the agent in their country before coming to Malaysia.Its like two way the agent in Malaysian make money from outsource and in return their couterpart make more.
The owner of factory – hold their pasport mainly from this workers – reason – scared they run away.The workers also ignorant but they also part partly to blame and their embassy also had to be blamed.
Regarding the POlitician – well self interest – they have nothing to gain – no votes – they are the one give the licence to outsource company.
Small time businessman.
”””””””””””’
This group normally need workers,but the outsource charges is to high to pay.No right contact without workers their business just collapsed – seen many due to manpower shortage due to Malaysian picky attitude.They willing to pay salary above $1,200.00 a month but they cant afford the outsource fees or the red tape cause them just close the business.
The Big developer.
………………
Mostly the culprits – once their project finish – no work and salary for contract workers.So this cause sosial problems.More jobless contract workers in building industries coming soon,due to alot of housing project standstill due to Political factor and rising cost of building material.
rajraman.Directly involved and spoken to this group.I blame the warlords,the middleman and red tape and non of my workers ran away but i sack them if they lied.(never hold their pasport – salary at least $2k with house,transport and their levy absorb by me but still loosing because red tape)
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Thanks to our … police and immigration , employers get away with exploiting and oppressing foreign workers. While doing medical check up for a group of Bangladeshis I was told they did not get their salaries for seven months and their employer had (allegedly) bribed relevent autorities after the workers filed reports and the cases were dropped.
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I do not think the welfare of migrant workers is the issue. In my opinion, the world’s economic structure has changed. China and India, not mentioning America and Europe, are formidable competitiors in every field. We have been closing down factories due to non ompetitive costs, and you want us to remain on the low skills, low knowledge industry? You want us to remain trpped there?
No, the answer is to upgrade and go into higher skills, knowledge based services and technology. We have to do this while we still have that little distance ahead of the “merging giants” but it is fast dissipating.
The government is slow; too slow in re-structuring. In my view, Agriculture – which the government seems to have adopted – primary and value-added biotech industries are one major new frontier sunrise economy.
The other is Helth and Finance.
My gripe with the … racist UMNO is the perverson of these new industries for UMNOPutras. The adamance in increasing the price of fuel to market price is not becuase of good economic management policies but because those ……. wished to corner the new biotech market for themselves!
They know very well that if the pump price of diesel and petrol are hiked up to market, their biodiesel firms and plantations will be the multi-billion dollar beneficiaries; Immediately making some of the UMNOPutras instant millionaires! What more for those now growing corn and other seeeds and vegetable oils for ethanol production?
Are you all so blind as not to be able to see the machinations UMNO of the entire economy to their benefit? And not just for the last 50 years. This chicanery accelerated in the last 15 years!
While we have to fight short-slighted people like Mahathir who sneered – “How many tons of vegetables can yu export before you earn th equivalent of industrial output?”. This is one of the most stupid sarcasm I have ever heard. Was he not aware the world’s economies are based on primary commodities from agriculture and on minerals? Rice, wheat, soya bean, nmillet, rubber, etc.. all ave gone up in this glbalized exchanged where we try to place the global demand in equilibrium to supply, with price as the equalising factor. All the “ivory-tower” talk of the last 30 years have become real, and if fair and proper mechanisms are in placed, be assured, We will have no more poor farmers and fishermen!
If we can’t manage ourselves properly with these opportunities, we are fools.
And UMNO would have us be fools and remain poor while they reap the new economies with the banks, professional services, land authorities, licensing agencies, R & D support, Police, Judiciary, Ag, and the MSM in their pocket.
That is why I say, Mr Anwar must become PM. He is aware of these and if he lays out a level playing field for all, irregardless of races, we can catch up, and catch up pretty quick with Singapore and China and India.
That is the value of Permatang Pauh’s vote. Am Malaysia for all or a Malaysia for a few …
The positive news is that the 2020 generation, especially the Malays, are educated, broadminded and not all like the UMNO Putras
Vote PKR, ladies and gentlement, for a better future. We have wasted enough time.
by Silver Surfer
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BN or UMNO used say that “We will not take away from the non Malays especially the Chinese, in the implementation of the NEP but instead strive to enlarge the pie so that no one existing race at that point in would feel disadvantaged or deprived”.
Instead, what we have over the last 30 years have been nothing short of treachery of UMNO under Mahathri especially, and the betrayal of the promise given by earlier UMNO leaders. For the last 30, especially the 22 + 4 years, it was no longer a case of widening the “economic pie” but grabbing as much as they can from the non Malays. All opportunities to UMNO Putras first then other Malays. S***!
Don’t you non Malays, including you moral-less, value-less, equally-greedy-grasping-UMNO-like MCA and MIC busineemen…, vote for BN-UMNO.
I hope the Mahathir administration will be investigated and investigated throroughly for the 22 years of treachery, racialism, rape and plunder of the nation and her people. Just look where we are now. Bottom of the global, nay, regional class!
Only some can afford to fly to Switzerland, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Belize, Hongkong, and Labuan, to check their bank accounts on a regular basis.
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Thanks for the article
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