“Sabah stands to lose a minimum 10 per cent of its harvest earnings this year. This is based on the current price of crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel at RM2,300 and RM1,000 per metric tonne respectively. This works out to RM1.8 billion for this year alone.”
Masri however hastened to add that the industry was consistent in its stand that workers from Bangladesh are unsuitable for the plantation sector. “They are better employed in the construction and service sectors. At present, Bangladeshi workers in the plantation sector even in the peninsula account for less than 13 per cent of the workers. Employers in plantations only turn to Bangladeshi workers as a last resort.”
“Indonesian workers in Sabah are more productive. If they can only handle three hectares back home, in Sabah they can manage eight hectares per person. They are paid according to their productivity. The emphasis in the plantation sector in Sabah is on productivity.”
Plantations in Sabah, stressed Masri, do employ local workers as well and they make up 50 per cent of the workers in oil palm mills along the east coast but only 10 to 20 per cent of the labour elsewhere in the sector. “Along the west coast, especially in Kudat, Kota Marudu and Beaufort, local workers make up 50 per cent of the workers in both oil palm mills and in harvesting.”
Masri, in pushing the case for a Joint Task Force made up of the Sabah Government and Empa, warned that local workers were not immediately available to make up the labour shortage facing the sector. He did not dwell on talk in the social media that local workers were only paid a modest monthly salary and overtime while foreign workers may be paid as much as RM2,500 a month for 25 days of harvesting fruits. “The Federal Government has said that the Sabah and Sarawak Governments have autonomous powers in immigration and could make use of such powers to decide on the intake of foreign workers,” pointed out Masri. “So, we need to get our act together in working with the state governments.”
“The Task Force can not only help source foreign workers for the plantations, 100 of whom are our members, but also work out ways in which more Sabahans can be attracted to the sector.”
The Empa Chief thinks the autonomy in labour matters for Sabah and Sarawak should be extended to cover all other related areas as well. “The state would definitely be in a better position to understand the needs of the local community.”
“Empa is ever willing to work with the government and other stakeholders on resolving longstanding issues related to hiring foreign workers and local workers and to look into producing intermediate and long-term solutions to address all issues.”
Masri hastened to add that calling for local workers to take up the slack created by the absence of foreign workers was easier said than done. “We are looking forward to engaging with the various authorities in the interest of the industry.”