In a special International Workers’ Memorial Day message, the workers’ union said national policy and measures to flatten the curve of the pandemic require significant consideration of issues facing migrant workers, including fulfilling their basic needs, guaranteeing their welfare and upholding labour standards.
“The issue of unsatisfactory living conditions provided for foreign workforce has been a cause of concern for MTUC all this while.
“We have observed that most foreign workers in the country stay in overcrowded, cramped dormitories, construction site cabins and shoplot rooms where physical distancing may be almost impossible to observe,” MTUC deputy president Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani said.
He was speaking after addressing some 50 trade union leaders affiliated with MTUC in conjunction with the International Workers’ Memorial Day celebration at Wisma MTUC here today.
The International Workers’ Memorial Day or Workers’ Mourning Day, celebrated annually on April 28, is a day of remembrance and action for people killed, disabled, injured or made unwell by their work.
In a related matter, Effendy has urged the government not to further delay the enforcement of Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) to ensure employers provide proper and conducive living conditions for foreign workers, besides addressing human trafficking in labour-intensive industries.
“We do not want the government to compromise in this matter of ensuring proper living conditions for foreign workers and we urge the government to speed up the enforcement of this Act,” he added.
Human resources minister M Saravanan was reported to have said the government has agreed to relax the enforcement of rules governing workers’ housing standards until the end of the year.
The decision was made after calls from employers to be given more time to comply with requirements under Act 446 as many companies are still recovering from the fallout caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In another development, MTUC vice-president Matkar Siwang has urged the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DoSH) to conduct investigation on an incident where an Indian national is believed to have died after inhaling chemical residue while cleaning a tanker at a vehicle washing centre in Taman Tampoi Indah, Johor Bahru on Monday.
He said if there were elements of negligence, DoSH should initiate efforts to charge those responsible in court.
At the event, the 50 trade union leaders also observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of workers who died in the line of duty.