Minister to seek migrant labour deal in Malaysia
- By Noe Noe Aung and Tim McLaughlin | Monday, 09 September 2013
A
Ministry of Labour delegation will travel to Malaysia this week to
propose a program to register undocumented migrant workers in Myanmar, a
week after hundreds were detained in a nationwide crackdown launched by
the Malaysian government.
Detained
migrants, their hands bound, sit on the ground following a raid by
immigration officials near Kuala Lumpur shortly after midnight on
September 1. Photo: AFP
The delegation, scheduled
to depart on September 9, will be led by Minister for Labour, Employment
and Social Security U Aye Myint.
Department of Labour director U
Myo Aung, who will also travel to Malaysia with the delegation, said
the government hoped to reach an agreement with Malaysia on registering
undocumented migrant workers.
“We [have] realised that solving
problems each time they occur does not work. We need some policies to
protect our workers there so we want to focus on negotiating an
agreement,” he told The Myanmar Times on September 7.
He hinted
that a temporary ban on sending migrant workers to Malaysia through
legal channels that the government announced in June could be lifted
after this week’s visit. “After we check the conditions in Malaysia,
we’ll [allow] workers to go there if everything is fine for them,” he
said.
Malaysia’s home affairs minister was quoted as saying last
week that more than 2400 undocumented migrants have been arrested in 40
raids since the operation began on September 1.
More than 550 of
those detained are Myanmar nationals but the Malaysian embassy in Yangon
said last week it expects that number to climb as the sweeps continue.
The
three-month operation is aimed at rooting out and deporting some
500,000 illegal workers – mostly from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Indonesia –
who live in Malaysia and survive on low-paying jobs.
U Myo Aung
said he did not think the government could do anything to help detained
illegal workers because of the Malaysian government’s policy.
“From
their side, the Malaysian government did their job and the workers are
illegal so yes, they have the right to arrest them. They arrest every
illegal worker – not only those from Myanmar but also from Indonesia,
Vietnam, India and other countries,” he said.
Pranom Somwong, a
representative of the Worker Hub for Change and Network of Action for
Migrants in Malaysia, said the sweeps are mostly focusing on Kuala
Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor, which have been identified as “hubs”
for undocumented workers.
Suspected
illegal foreign workers sit on the ground during an immigration raid
operation shortly after midnight on September 1 outside Kuala Lumpur.
Photo: AFPThe Malaysian embassy estimates that there are 100,000 illegal Myanmar workers in Malaysia. There are another 300,000 documented workers, while about 3000 Myanmar nationals apply each month for Malaysian work visas.
The visit will be the second
that Myanmar officials have made to Malaysia in recent months because
of concerns over the safety of migrant workers.
Many workers are
lured to Malaysia by brokers and employers with the promise of
relatively high-paying jobs but after arrival find themselves working in
poor conditions for low wages with their passports being held by their
employers.
“Workers find themselves caught between potentially
unscrupulous employment agencies and the risk of being arrested by
immigration authorities,” said Ms Pranom.
Charles Hector, a
lawyer and human rights activist in Malaysia who has worked extensively
with Myanmar workers, described the crackdown as misguided because it
targets workers instead of the employers and broker agencies that force
them out of legal jobs.
He said many workers arrive in Malaysia
legally but quit their jobs and lose their status as documented workers
when they find conditions and pay far below what they expected.
He
said another problem stems from workers being offered long-term
contracts only to have them quickly terminated by employers looking to
save money or operate off the books.
“The question is: How did they become undocumented?” said Mr Hector.
The Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur could not be reached for comment last week, with repeated phone calls going unanswered. - Myannmar Times, 9/9/2013, Minister to seek migrant labour deal in Malaysia
taking disciplinary action against 18 workers who exercised their right as citizens outside working hours.
Pursuant
to a decision by the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), which was
also supported by the NUTEAIW, to extract commitments on worker rights
from contesting candidates and political parties, workers went to meet
contesting candidates before election day.
to
one of the contesting candidates in the Parliamentary constituency,
which also happens to be the constituency that the Prime Minister of
Malaysia was contesting. For this, disciplinary action have been
initiated by two DRB HICOM companies in Pekan, after more than 85 days
of suspension were terminated on 19th August 2013.
Mercedes-Benz
,
issued show cause letters to 16 workers, and speedily proceeded with
the Domestic Inquiry on 11th June 2013 and terminated them on 19th
Auguste 2013. Likewise,
Isuzu Hicom Sdn Bhd,
that
assembles automobiles for Isuzu, issued show cause letters to 2 workers
and they too has been terminated by the Company on 19th August 2013.
The workers were not allowed the right to be represented by
representatives of the National Union, only representatives from the
work site committee.
must
have the freedom to join and participate in any political parties, even
offer themselves as candidates and involve themselves in campaigning in
general elections. Hence the taking of this disciplinary action against
workers for things they did in exercise of their rights as citizens in a
democracy during the 13th General Elections is an infringement of their
rights. The best thing that these DRB Hicom companies can do now is to
immediately reinstate these workers without any delay.
were contrary to the interest of the company gave the false impression that the company was involved in politics.
Paliamentary candidate for Pekan,
Mohd Najib Abdul Razak,
also
the incumbent Prime Minister. Workers were allowed to go for the
meeting during working hours. This event was also highlighted in Najib’s
13th General Election 
Pekan Constituency candidate website (
(Dato’
Sri Najib Socialize with DRB-Hicom citizenry). Later that very day
women workers were also allowed by the company to meet up with Najib’s
wife.
and
a termination would cause great hardship to their wellbeing and
livelihood. Amongst the 18 are also trade union leaders, including also
the current chairperson of MTUC Pahang Division
Hicom Automotive Manufacturing Sdn Bhd and Isuzu Hicom Sdn Bhd to immediately reinstate them without loss of benefits.
being
also the Member of Parliament for Pekan, to intervene and ensure that
worker and citizen rights of his constituents are not violated by
employers.
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