Malaysia Says Firms That Hired Stranded Migrant Workers To Face Action

Malaysia announced on Monday that it will penalise businesses and revoke the licences of employment agencies that hired migrant workers who later found themselves stranded in the nation without jobs.

Following their arrival in Malaysia, hundreds of South Asian migrants, largely from Bangladesh and Nepal, were told that the employment that had been promised to them in exchange for high recruitment fees no longer existed, according to a story last week by Reuters. Last month, Malaysia announced a probe.

The dilemma of the migrants, many of whom claim they have not received pay in months, comes amid worries about labour abuses in Malaysia; in recent years, numerous corporations have been subject to U.S. restrictions for using forced labour.

Malaysia’s Labour Department promised to take legal action against employment agencies and businesses found to have abused government quotas and permits for hiring foreign workers in response to Reuters’ inquiries.

Related link: Malaysia fines 400 companies in 2023 for labor offenses

In a statement sent through email, the department vowed to carry out a thorough investigation and not compromise on any illegal actions that would “lead to any form of forced labour.”

The department claimed to have relocated some of the stranded employees to government-approved housing and to have required certain businesses to cover their living expenses and wages.

It didn’t specify how many employees in a comparable situation it had found or how many businesses or organisations it was looking into.

The department also refuted claims that two Nepali nationals committed suicide at a facility for workers’ housing.

It reported police inquiries that found only one fatality, a Nepali citizen who committed suicide at a facility housing labourers.