THE deferment of the implementation of the amended Employment Act 1955 from September 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 is to give time for employers to address their problems on worker shortage and recruitment of foreign workers, Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan said.

He said the decision was taken following requests by the employers themselves.

“The employers need more time and their request (to defer implementation of the amended law) is rational,” he told reporters after opening the 23rd Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH 2022) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.

He said this in response to comments by several quarters over the government’s move to defer implementation of the amended Employment Act, which, among other things, involves reducing the working hours from 48 hours to 45 hours a week, increasing maternity leave from 60 days to 98 days and paternity leave from three days to seven days.

He said he had discussed with the Malaysian Trade Union Congress on the postponement of the implementation of the amended law, which was made after studying the views of all quarters.

Saravanan also said 47,000 foreign workers had entered the country so far, with nearly 19,000 of them being Nepalese.

He refuted claims that the cost of hiring foreign workers was too high, saying that it was with “zero cost”.

However, he said, employers who hire foreign workers would have to cover their cost of accommodation and flight fares.

He advised employers who have paid the levy for their foreign workers to submit the relevant documents to the authority for further action.

The two-day COSH 2022 themed “Resilience towards new challenges”, which starts today, involves more than 1,300 local and foreign participants. – Bernama, August 29, 2022.