KUALA LUMPUR: The government has agreed to allow the hiring of foreign workers for inland warehouses and the bird's nest industry.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the recruitment of low-skilled foreign workers however would be monitored and controlled, to prevent a job shortage among locals and a dependency on foreign labour.
He said the decision to allow foreigners to work in warehouses was made based on a study on the need for foreign workers and supervisory agencies in the subsector by the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) and the Statistics Department (DOSM).
He said the Transport Ministry would be responsible for supervising the employment of foreign workers in the warehouse subsector, while the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry would be in charge of the same process in the bird's nest industry.
"The foreign workers' management joint-committee meeting attended by personnel from the relevant agencies today also agreed on a proposal for the Construction Labour Exchange Bhd (CLAB) to manage the hiring of foreign construction workers of more than 100 people.
"The process will be done in accordance with the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board Act, including ensuring that the workers hold CIDB personnel cards and construction skills competency certificates," he said in a press conference after attending the two ministries foreign workers' management joint-committee meeting.
He said the meeting also agreed to allow foreign workers to carry out infrastructure construction works on a short-term basis in areas categorised as prohibited or Kawasan Larangan dan Tempat Larangan.
The Home Ministry will decide on future applications for hiring foreign workers in these places, he said.
In fulfilling the industry needs, he said the ministries had also agreed to allow foreigners to work in the scrap metal and laundry subsectors.
The ministries had also agreed to allow workers from 15 countries to be employed in manufacturing, construction and services.
"We have also agreed to study the subsectors that have faced a ban on employment of foreign workers."
On a separate matter, Hamzah said the Home and Human Resources ministries would meet Indonesian government representatives on the freeze of its citizens going to Malaysia for work, as announced by the Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono on July 13.
"I would like to reiterate that the government will always ensure that the management of foreign workers In Malaysia is done in accordance with the sovereign law and guarantee that their rights are protected."
Also present was Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
