Guan Eng Disputes Ministry S Claim That Foreign Labour Quota Has Been Met

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The Master Builders Association Malaysia said the slow arrival of workers would further derail business recovery and sustainability of operations.PETALING JAYA: DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng says the statement by the human resources ministry that the nation’s demand for foreign labour has been met appears to contradict pleas from industry captains that the shortage is affecting their productivity badly.
He said several associations have been frequently urging Putrajaya to resolve the problem urgently, asking it to stop the ministry from handling foreign workers as it had failed badly in its task.
“The reality on the ground is different. For example, contractors in the construction industry dispute the ministry’s claim that the foreign labour shortage has been resolved.
“The Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) has issued a statement on behalf of 10 associations, saying that the continued shortage has stifled the recovery of the construction industry, noting that they are facing higher interest rates at the same time,” he said in a statement today.
On Thursday, MBAM said the slow arrival of workers would further derail business recovery and sustainability of operations as the country continues to recover from the pandemic.
It was reported yesterday that the human resources ministry had given approval for 541,315 foreign workers until Sept 26, 436,613 of whom have already paid the levy.
It added that taking into account the existing 1.3 million foreign workers and the approved quota, the number had almost met the total demand for 1.8 million foreign labourers.
As a quick solution, MBAM urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to let the Construction Labour Exchange Centre Bhd handle all applications for foreign workers from the industry, rather than having to go through the human resources ministry.
Lim said the ministry had failed to deliver on its promise to speed up the employer interview process at one-stop centres, according to zones and states, or give approvals within one week under the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System. - FMT

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