Malaysia: Allow foreign workers to set up association

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has asked the government to allow foreign workers in the country to set up associations where they could voice problems with their employers.

Suhakam Commissioner Datuk N.Siva Subramaniam said that other countries had allowed such establishments to be formed and had had very little problem with it.

Besides, he said, the association would enable the foreign workers to lodge their complaints in a formal way.

"Why should we be afraid? It's nothing. It's not like setting up a secret society or anything like that. It's just an appropriate channel for them to voice out problems when they are neglected by their employers," he told reporters after attending a round-table meeting with workers' unions.

He also reiterated that Suhakam had been deluged with complaints regarding the rights of the workers, both local and foreign.

He said that even though many of worker's rights violation cases had been solved by Cuepacs, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), Tenaganita and the Malaysian Bar Council, the problems kept recurring and staining the country's good name.

"At least two cases on worker's right were reported (to Suhakam) daily," he said, adding that the problems included service termination, violation of job agreement, salary, and slavery.

Meanwhile, MTUC secretary-general G. Rajasekaran said that last year alone, the congress received 1,200 complaints from the workers regarding unpaid salary.

The one-day meeting was also attended by representatives from Cuepacs, MTUC, Bar Council, Tenaganita, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and the Malaysian Employers Federation.

Among the issues discussed were the freedom to set up association, discrimination and workers' rights.

Date: 11 August 2008

Source: BERNAMA