Malaysia to continue its freeze on Bangladesh workers
Malaysia decided to continue the freeze on hiring workers from Bangladesh although it allowed electronics and textile sectors again to recruit foreign workers, reported Malaysian newspaper The Star Online yesterday.
Earlier, a temporary ban was imposed on these two sectors in recruiting foreign workers.
The decision taken at a meeting of the Malaysian cabinet committee on foreign and illegal workers yesterday comes as a blow to the 55,000 Bangladeshi workers whose visas were cancelled by Malaysia early this year on grounds of global economic recession.
The Malaysian daily did not elaborate on the matter, but sources in Malaysia told The Daily Star that such a decision was taken as the Malaysian authorities and some employers were irritated by the presence of too many unauthorised Bangladeshi brokers in that country.
Meanwhile, the cabinet committee chaired by Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin decided not to allow foreign workers, except for domestic helps, to stay in that country for more than five years continuously.
"They can re-apply for an extension to their work permits, but they will have to go home first," he said.
There are around 5 lakh Bangladeshi workers in the southeast Asian country, but many of them were facing problems because of irregularities in their recruitment process.
Muhyiddin said the electronics and textile industries were allowed to recruit foreign workers but "no foreign workers will be allowed in the services sector or frontline jobs, except for cooks, cleaners and resort island staff".
The cabinet also agreed with a proposal for a better salary structure and higher allowances to attract locals into taking up jobs currently occupied mostly by foreign workers and to reduce its dependence on foreign workers.
"Strategies to reduce dependence on foreign workers will be carried out in stages according to the economic situation to avoid any negative impact," Muhyiddin told journalists after the meeting.
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