SARAWAK’S “locals first” hiring policy for oil palm plantation sector has failed.

Plantations are losing of around RM1 billion a year as a result of a shortage of 30,000 workers, Deputy Chief Minister James Masing said today.

“Our locals are not interested (in the plantations). We have tried to encourage them but they refused to do the 3D jobs,” he said, using the common description of jobs that are dirty, dangerous and difficult.

“The plantations need 30,000 more workers, particularly harvesters. 

“The shortage amounts to RM1 billion in losses yearly as the plantations do not have enough workers,” he said when asked to elaborate on remarks by Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg last week the state might turn to foreign workers.

The majority of the foreign workers in the state’s oil palm plantations are from Indonesia. 

Masing said it was difficult to recruit Indonesian labourers as the country was also a rival in the oil palm sector.

“We cannot depend on Indonesia because if we are too dependent on them, we will eventually be on the losing end.”

He said Sarawak was looking to Myanmar instead.

Sarawak had proposed to bring in 12,000 workers from Bangladesh to fill the manpower shortage but this was met with resistance.

Plantation companies in Sarawak must advertise vacant positions and choose locals first. Other rules require companies to ban foreign workers from renting houses in towns or villagers near plantations.

Masing said mechanisation was a long term solution to the problem and some companies, like Ta Ann, were already embarking on a study to build a harvesting machine. 
“In the meantime we have to bring in foreign workers,” he said. – December 7, 2017.