THE Human Resources (HR) Ministry must address the meagre wages and unfair work contracts of public hospital cleaners, said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai said now that the health minister has acknowledged the cleaners’ plight, it is time the HR Ministry does the same.

The HR Ministry needs to use its powers to correct policies that cause hardship, he added.

“The ministry should step in and ensure cleaners’ welfare is taken care of and that they are protected against any form of exploitation,” he said in a statement today.

“It should also ensure that the contract system is not abused. Hiring policies – for permanent or contract workers – must be fair and transparent.”

His comment comes after National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services (NUWHSAS) members handed a memorandum, calling for the contract system to be abolished, to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Tuesday.

Public hospital cleaners have been placed under a contract system since 1997, when the government outsourced their jobs to private companies.

Prior to this system, they were eligible for government pension and could apply for government loans. But now, they are paid minimum wage, which is set at RM1,200 a month.

NUHWHSAS also wants public hospital cleaners to be reabsorbed as full-time civil servants and given the right to Covid-19 allowances, as well as for contract companies to stop harassing union members.

Dr Koh praised Khairy for pledging to look into the cleaners’ plight.

MMA sees it as shocking and unacceptable that the workers have been earning minimum wage all this while, he added.

“According to media reports on the issue, some cleaners were made to work in four locations in a single day, and their annual leaves do not commensurate with their years of service.

“How can a person be motivated to grow in any organisation if there is no increase in wages for that long? The HR minister must step in and address this.”

Dr Koh said hospital cleaners are part of the healthcare ecosystem, and should be recognised and respected for their important role.

They are also frontliners and play a key role in the control and prevention of infectious diseases, he added.

“The duties of cleaners are labour intensive. They should not be made to take on two or three jobs to make ends meet.” – February 10, 2022.