The Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department has discovered that only 50% of employers are following the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities (Amendment) Act 2019 (Act 446), according to Deputy director-general (operation) Mohd Asri Abd Wahab. Employers who have not complied with the Act are urged to improve the welfare of their workers, including health, hygiene, and safety of accommodation. “I hope they can seek advice from the Labour Department to ensure that the accommodations provided meet the requirements outlined in the Act,” Mohd Asri Abd Wahab stated. He made these remarks after the inspection of eight shoplots used as foreign workers’ hostels in Taman Tiram on Sunday (Oct 29) during Op Walit.
The focus of Op Walit was to determine if employers providing shoplot accommodations had acquired the Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO) or at least applied for one. Mohd Asri Abd Wahab revealed that the inspections revealed that the accommodations did not have CFOs from the Labour Department and there were no records of applications for a certificate as required by Act 446.
During the inspection, it was found that 23 investigation papers were opened, involving offenses under Act 446. The offenses included not providing beds, mattresses, locked cupboards, and toilets. These offenses carry a fine of up to RM50,000 for each offense. This year, the department has already opened 392 investigation papers, resulting in 284 cases being issued compounds totaling RM2.71 million.
The Op Walit operation on Sunday was conducted by the Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department in collaboration with the Kedah Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and Social Security Organization (Socso), and involved 30 enforcement officers. – Bernama
