James (not his real name), an Indian national and victim of forced labour, said employers needed to know about forced labour, especially involving foreign labourers.

“We didn’t have this (before); that’s why employers exploited us. So if everyone is aware of these things, we can tell our employers, ‘this is not good’. We have our rights,” he told FMT.

James worked at a grocery store for four months from March where, he said, he had encountered physical and mental abuse by his employer.

Additionally, his employer unlawfully withheld two months’ worth of wages and confiscated his passport.

He was initially promised a monthly wage of RM4,000, but upon being hired, he found out that he would only earn RM1,500 a month.

Another victim, Steven (not his real name), agreed that the government’s announcement on the proposed guidelines was a good step forward.

The Indian national, who also had his passport confiscated by his employer, was promised a job as an electrician, but was assigned to construction work, a job he was not able to carry out because of his health.

“This is a good idea because we suffer in difficult situations in Malaysia. The guidelines will be helpful  because we have no one to turn to in Malaysia,” he told FMT.

Both James and Steven were able to escape their employers and are currently under the care of the North South Initiative, a non-governmental organisation that helps vulnerable communities such as victims of forced labour and migrant workers.

Human resources minister V Sivakumar had previously said the new guidelines were being developed for all organisations to understand the definition of forced labour, and know its indicators in detail, as well as the necessary action to combat it within the workplace.

Enforcement must go hand in hand

SME Association Malaysia secretary-general Chin Chee Seong said such guidelines were long overdue.

“I think (the guidelines) will be helpful, or else many (employers) will unknowingly cross the line, resulting in them being summoned,” he told FMT.

However, Chin highlighted the importance of swift enforcement and action to effectively address the issue, saying the proposed guidelines might be taken for granted if enforcement was not beefed up.

“Getting employers to understand that there are penalties for their actions is important. Enforcement must be there,” he said.

Chin said employees should be well-versed in the guidelines so that they were better able to protect themselves.