Human resources minister M Saravanan said under Act 342, only the health ministry has the power to act against employers who violate SOPs.
“We have received several complaints about private sector employers still forcing their employees to come to office to work. When such complaints are brought to us, we cannot take action.
“The proposal to have the health ministry delegate the power to the manpower department has been approved at the technical committee level.
“It will be brought to the MKN committee this evening. Once approved, the manpower department will immediately take action against employers who disregard the work from home SOPs.”
He was speaking to reporters after leading an operation to check on compliance with the Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) and movement control order 3.0 here today.
Saravanan added that for breaching the work safety rules, the fine imposed would be RM50,000 for companies and RM10,000 for individuals.
Earlier, to limit movement during MCO 3.0, the government had decided that 80% of government staff and 40% of the private sector employees will work from home.
With this directive, about eight million people from both the private and public sectors will not have to go out to work during the MCO 3.0 period.
In the meantime, Saravanan explained that the enforcement of Act 446 to ensure minimum housing standards for workers had never been revoked.
He said it had always been implemented to ensure a high level of compliance by employers, especially now when the Covid-19 transmission is growing at an alarming rate.
He said the ministry would discuss with the science, technology and innovation ministry on the best approach to vaccinate workers, including foreign workers, in the manufacturing sector as workplace clusters had led to a surge in Covid-19 transmission.
“We are concerned over the huge number of undocumented workers and we call on employers or those with information to report to us immediately, so that action can be taken,” he said.