DAP’s Charles Santiago said the affected workers should have received much more in compensation, suggesting that the figure should have been at least RM4,500 each.

Santiago was commenting on the human resources ministry’s announcement on Feb 8 that an agreement had been reached between the 733 affected Bangladeshi nationals and their employers for payment of a total sum of RM1,035,557.50 in unpaid wages, in a settlement arranged by the Johor labour department.

The settlement would see each worker receive RM1,412.76 on average.

The workers had filed a claim for RM2.21 million with the labour department for unpaid wages from their employers.

Santiago, who has long championed migrant rights, said the affected workers had been without employment for between three and four months, and would have endured much hardship during that time.

He said that from experience, these workers would likely have suffered health-related issues, including depression, all of which ought to have been considered when deciding on the quantum of compensation.

“They should be given medical treatment (including mental health treatment) because they’ve been living in terrible conditions. There should be some kind of medical support for them, especially depression,” the former Klang MP told FMT.

North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira also questioned the award, saying it was inadequate as it did not take the “social cost” involved into account.

Pereira said this would include the inability to send money home, which would have resulted in much hardship for their families. For instance, the money would have gone a long way to fund their children’s education, he said.

Being without salary would also mean these migrant workers may not be able to repay loan sharks back in Bangladesh from whom they would have borrowed to pay agents for their trip to Malaysia.

These agents, Pereira said, had disrupted the lives of the migrant workers. “And the impact is severe.”