Special ID cards to stop job changes
Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia will be provided with special identity cards from early next year to prevent them from switching jobs before expiry of job contract, reported Malaysian English daily The Star on Thursday. Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the cards would have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and biometric technology, and would function as a debit card and stored-value card.
“The cards would be colour coordinated to indicate different employment sectors to prevent the workers from switching jobs,” he told Malaysian press after Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain paid a courtesy call on him in Kuala Lumpur.
Around 1.4 million Bangladeshi workers, likely to be recruited by the Southeast Asian nation in phases from early next year, will be provided with the identity cards, mentioned the report.
The workers, said Ahmad Zahid, would be screened for criminal records before being hired and those found switching jobs would be fined up to RM 2,000 (Malaysian ringgit).
“One of the issues discussed was temporary housing for the workers, so that they could be taken care of and no assimilation could occur,” he said.
The Bangladeshi workers’ entry had been agreed during Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s term as home minister, to cater to the need for workers in the plantation and service sectors.
“They [workers] will be brought in under a government-to-government agreement to prevent exploitation by middlemen,” the Malaysian minister mentioned.
Khandker Mosharraf told the Malaysian media that the government-to-government deal would reduce migration costs from $4,000 to $400 per worker.
“Before this, they [workers] had to work four to five years to repay the migration costs due to exploitation by middlemen. But now they can settle the amount in just two months,” he noted.
Contacted, labour counsellor at Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia Mantu Kumar Biswas said the minister also met the Malaysian human resources minister and some other government officials to discuss employment of Bangladeshis there.
ILLEGAL WORKERS FACE ACTION
Zahid Hamidi yesterday said a massive operation will be launched from September 1 against the foreign workers without valid permits.
The action was to ensure compliance with the law and regulations regarding foreign workers in Malaysia, he added.
“We don’t want employers hire foreign workers without permits. At the same time, we also want to see that employers provide housing and medical facilities to the workers, as well as look after their welfare,” mentioned the minister.
-With The Daily Star input
