MOST private sector employers have been understanding of staff affected by floods last month and are allowing paid leave besides other forms of assistance, bosses’ groups said.

Some companies are even arranging teams to help clean employees’ houses, as well as provide cash assistance.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said 77% of employers in the private sector have provided flood-affected workers paid leave at a minimum of one day and a maximum of seven days.

A few are even extending paid leave for up to 30 days, depending on the severity of the floods and the needs of employees, Syed Hussain said.

“In addition to this, employers also gave cash payments to severely affected workers,” Syed Hussain added.

Based on the MEF Collective Agreement Analysis 2020, he said 95% of private sector employers provide calamity benefits and cash assistance, with one-off cash payments ranging from RM150 to RM3,000.

Syed Hussain said that MEF had made it a point to urge all employers to provide all forms of assistance to workers affected by the floods.

Other forms of help given were disaster relief teams that assisted flood-affected employees to clean their homes, medical assistance and psychological support.

“Giving financial handouts may be easier but mental stress is something employers are also worried about, so they have been extending calamity leave for employees,” he said.

MEF has not received any complaints so far about employers pressuring flood-affected workers to return to work by threatening pay cuts or termination, he added.

SME Association of Malaysia president Ding Hong Sing said small and medium enterprises were also providing paid leave to employees affected by the floods and helping them clean their houses.

“If the employee tells the employer that his house is severely flooded, the employer and other employees will work together to help clean the house,” Ding told The Malaysian Insight.

He said some SME factories were also flooded and many employees returned to clean the factories right after attending to their own homes.

However, Ding said some flood-stricken companies that suffered damage have had to negotiate with employees on the payment of salary.

“Due to losses suffered by the company, some may not be able to pay their employees’ salaries as scheduled for a while,” he said.

Late payment of salaries is only by companies that experienced flood damage, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia president Low Kian Chuan said.

“Companies and merchants were hoping to make a profit at the end of the year and the coming Chinese New Year.

“Unexpectedly, the floods have caused more losses. Inventory is soaked and damaged, and cannot be sold,” he said.

Following the flood disaster in many states in the last two weeks of 2021, Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged the private sector to give their workers paid leave without deducting their annual leave and their salaries.

The government had also agreed to provide emergency leave to civil servants affected by the floods that hit several states.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association president Emmy Suraya Hussein said many members had given afflicted workers paid leave for a week.

“We support the prime minister’s statement on giving paid leave to flood-affected workers,” Emmy said.

She added that the association collected donations to assist affected staff. – January 8, 2022.