Malaysia has a responsibility to treat foreign workers with respect, says law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said in response to Lim Guan Eng’s remarks opposing minimum wage and EPF contributions for migrant workers.
She said Malaysia “especially cannot afford” poor publicity over mistreatment or abuse of migrant workers from Asean countries, given its current chairmanship of the regional bloc.
“We aren’t a country that utterly disrespects our foreign workers. We have our laws, and we have to respect every human being,” she said at a press conference for the launch of Malaysia’s first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR) today.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Hishamudin Yunus agreed with her, reiterating that foreign workers were also entitled to protection from Malaysian institutions.
“Foreign workers facing exploitation can always lodge a report with Suhakam. We’ll look into it for you. That’s the process,” he said.
While debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament last week, Lim said there was “no need to mandate the RM1,700 minimum wage and 2% EPF contributions for migrant workers” already in the workforce.
He pointed to Singapore’s policy of not requiring Central Provident Fund contributions for migrant workers since 2003 without repercussions from the International Labour Organization.
“Therefore, the RM1,700 wage floor and 2% EPF contribution should apply only to new foreign hires, as employers previously engaged the current workers based on (the then) existing terms,” Lim had said.
