JOHOR BARU: Employers hiring foreign workers will be responsible for their wellbeing from day one of their employment with the introduction of the strict liability programme, said Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed (pic).
The Deputy Home Minister said the decision to introduce the programme was made due to the lackadaisical attitude of some employers towards the welfare of their workers.
Nur Jazlan said the focus would be on providing housing facilities and fulfilling healthcare needs.
“In Singapore, employers or companies hiring foreigners have to provide accommodation or hostels for them but not in Malaysia,” he said at a press conference after presenting offer letters to 89 recipients of the Sungai Melana people’s housing project at Kompleks Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat here Sunday.
He acknowledged there were cases of employers renting houses from locals at housing estates and turning them into hostels for their foreign employees.
“This has created uneasiness among locals with the presence of foreign workers living in their neighbourhood,” added Nur Jazlan.
He said employers must also ensure that their foreign employees possessed health insurance to enable them to seek treatment at hospitals.
Nur Jazlan said presently, locals have to compete with foreigners at public hospitals for treatment, adding that the healthcare services were subsidised by the Government for Malaysians.
He said records also showed that 50% of foreign workers in the country were diagnosed with contiguous diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
Source: The Star