Reported by Bernama, as of 9 November, the Human Resources Ministry reports that 1,058 foreign workers who were fired despite being offered positions have been paired with new companies.
In a statement released on Saturday, 25 November, the Ministry stated that the workers, who unemployed for more than three months, assisted in an operation by the Immigration Department and the police following the formation of a rescue group under the Labor Department.
Apart from assigning workers to new employers, the Ministry has enforced the Employment Act 1955 and the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) against negligent employers who failed to provide for their employees.
According to the Ministry, the purpose of the rescue operation was to protect the workers from forced labor and human trafficking, as defined by the International Labor Organization.
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In a related development, the Ministry also declared that, at its eighth meeting, the Home Ministry and the Joint Committee on Foreign Worker Management decided to stop accepting new foreign workers for the cleaning and washing subsectors. Working in such fields were over half of the laborers who ended up left behind.
The Human Resources Ministry further stated that they will conduct a review of the quota for accepted applications for foreign workers in all sectors and subsectors, including the two areas indicated above.
In order to step up operations and enforcement activities under its jurisdiction, the Ministry will keep working with all departments and agencies.
According to the statement, there won’t be any problems with abandoned workers or instances of forced labor in the nation’s labor business thanks to ongoing enforcement and increased operations.
The statement claims that there will be no issues with abandoned workers or cases of forced labor in the labor industry of the nation as a result of the continuous enforcement and expanded operations.