MIGRANT workers have been left stranded and hungry by their employers since the Covid-19 movement-control order (MCO) came into effect, said Tenaganita director Aegile Fernandez.

The employers have abandoned the migrant workers, leaving them without food and wages at their workplaces, she said.

The migrants fear coming out to look for food as they’re afraid of being arrested, Aegile told The Malaysian Insight.

She appealed to employers to “have some thought, have kindness in your heart” for their migrant workers during the MCO.

“These workers have been working for you, they have been slogging, living in terrible conditions, working long hours.”

Tenaganita, a rights advocacy group for migrants, refugees, women and children, said migrant workers have been calling to report about their situation.

“Many migrant workers are left stranded. Because we have been helping them with emergency food, therefore, we have been getting calls.

“One (type of call) is from the workers affected and two, people who are in the same area as them informing us that these workers have no food.”

On top of being left to fend for themselves, the workers are also fearful about leaving their dwellings to look for help in case they’re arrested.

“They fear arrest and are staying indoors, which means they can’t look for food.”

Several complained about not receiving wages for March and their employers’ “disappearance” since the MCO came into effect on March 18.

“Very few of them got their salaries for the last month (February), so they are waiting for March wages,” Aegile said.

Complaints are coming from workers in sectors, such as oil palm plantations, manufacturing, construction and vegetable farms.

Most are currently living in their workplace, such as construction sites.

“Those staying at the construction site kongsi (shared makeshift housing) said their bosses have not turned up (since the MCO began).

“In sectors like construction, the workers are usually under the management of a middleman or a contractor. The contractor goes missing at this time and the workers are left stranded.

“The workers say they have tried to contact their contractor but there’s no response.”

The MCO was to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in the country and extended to April 14, as the numbers continue to rise.

As of yesterday, the number of Covid-19 infections was 2,766 with 43 deaths.

Aegile said the government’s plan to provide food and assist marginalised communities under the MCO is unclear about migrant workers left in the lurch.

“Are the authorities going to be strict with contractors? We don’t know.”

The government barred charity groups and civil society groups feeding the needy and refugees from functioning directly under the MCO. Instead, they’re to bring their aid to welfare centres which will then distribute the items with the help of their officers.

Activists and civil society groups, however, fear that many of the needy will miss out as the welfare database does not cover many of the marginalised they have been helping.

“We are trying to appeal so that one person, an NGO (non-governmental organisation) representative can be allowed to deliver food,” she said.

Tenaganita has drawn up a proposed standard operating procedure and hopes the authorities will reconsider their blanket ban on charity work during the MCO.

As at August 31 last year, Malaysia had 1.99 million foreign workers, with most of them employed in the manufacturing sector, followed by construction, plantation, and agriculture. – April 1, 2020.