THE requirement for foreign workers to have valid work permits to be re-employed defeats the purpose of redeployment, said the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

Its executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan, said many foreign workers will not be able to be redeployed based on this requirement as existing employers only release their foreign workers after the terms of their permits expire.

“MEF supports the government’s decision to allow the re-employment of foreign workers still in the country and who are no longer required by their existing employers.

“However, based on Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan’s statement, the conditions for re-employment are that the foreign workers in question must have a valid work permit and the re-deployment is restricted to within the same sector,” he said in a statement today.

It was reported that the ministry had given employers the flexibility to hire foreign workers laid off by previous employers if they do not get any response from local workers. However, it urged employers to give priority to locals when filling these vacancies.

Shamsuddin added that restricting the re-employment of foreign workers to the same sector will not optimise the utilisation of foreign labour still in the country as demand varies according to sectors. 

“For example, there is a huge demand in the agricultural and plantation sectors where employers are retaining all their foreign workers. As there is currently a freeze on the intake of new foreign workers, these sectors will only be able to get workers from other sectors,” he said.

He urged the government to allow foreign workers, including those whose work permits had expired but are eligible for renewal, to be re-employed across all industrial sectors. – Bernama, August 15, 2020.