HUMAN Resources Minister M. Saravanan today denied allegations that his office was lax about enforcing the standards for the living arrangements of employees, particularly of migrant workers.

He said ministry officers regularly checked workers’ quarters for compliance with the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446).

He was responding to the National Union of Bank Employees president’s accusations of his ministry’s carelessness and complacency in the regulation of workers’ quarters which had allowed Covid-19 to spread.

Union leader J. Solomon said the authorities had failed to ensure decent living conditions for foreign workers as a mitigation strategy.

“This is false and I have already spoken to my lawyers to see if it has any fake news elements to it and I will take action if necessary,” Saravanan said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today. 

Saravanan said since Act 446 came into effect last September, the ministry had inspected 17,882 workplaces where more than 1.6 million were employed.

He said officers also visited 103,829 premises housing a total 670,455 workers.

“Of the 17,882 employers inspected, a total of 6,069 employers were found to be compliant with Act 446,” he said.

“The remaining 11,813 employers were found to be non-compliant and have committed offences under Act 446.”

He said 706 investigations were opened into the errant bosses.

He said 121 cases went to court, 39 of which were each fined RM301,000.

“A total of 216 compound permits were issued with compound offers of RM1,355,500,” he added saying that 46 transfer orders were issued for 46 employers with 1,962 workers. 

Meanwhile, the ministry’s new Working for Workers app for workers to file complaints about their employers has received 59 complaints.

He said 29 of them were from Malaysians and the remainder from foreign workers. He said most of the cases were from Kuala Lumpur (19) and Selangor (18 cases) followed by Kedah (6 cases).

He said the complaints were about dismissal without notice, unpaid salary, annual leave, and employment contract.

“MOHR remains committed to implementing action based on the complaints received and wishes to record our appreciation for all the feedback received,” Saravanan said.

Saravanan also denied the allegation that he had failed to get employers to comply with Covid SOPs at the workplace.

“This is also untrue. We have been conducting consistent checks at these places and taking necessary actions if a company does not follow the SOP,” he said.

He said the decision to shut down a workplace is made by the National Security Council.

Malaysia yesterday logged 3,733 new coronavirus cases and a record 26 deaths. – May 10, 2021.