According to a Borneo Post Online report, Sarawak Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary Andrew Lo poured cold water on claims that Malaysians were not willing to carry out dirty, dangerous and difficult (3D) jobs, pointing out that many Malaysians were working such jobs in Australia and Singapore.

“It is likely that employers prefer foreign workers because they are easier to control and exploit.

“Some employers place a large number of these workers in harsh and dirty living conditions. This has led to rising tensions and unrest among workers.”

Lo also said the move to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers over three years to satisfy the demand from employers in several sectors was not consistent with the government’s decision to put on hold the increase in foreign worker levy.

He said employers had lamented the increase in levy was ill-timed due to the current poor economic climate.

“MTUC believes companies should be downsizing and reducing the number of foreign workers so any increase in levy will have less impact,” the local daily quoted him as saying

He also said Sarawak MTUC wanted a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the foreign workers’ issue.