KUALA LUMPUR – The Immigration Department has blacklisted the employer of 171 Bangladeshis who were in a viral video in December for walking in Pengerang.
With this, the errant company will not be able to conduct any business at the department or renew the temporary working visit passes for its existing migrant workers.
The firm is also blacklisted from applying to bring in new migrant workers under Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955 and any remaining quota has been revoked.
The home and human resources ministries have also decided to compound the employer for not paying the workers and not providing conducive lodgings.
Under the Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990, an employer can be fined not more than RM50,000 per offence.
The company will also face action under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
The government has also cancelled the company’s conditional approval letter with a refund on levy charges.
Meanwhile, the ministries said in a statement that inspections would be carried out on employers who brought in workers under the Foreign Workers Employment Relaxation Plan.
The ministries also met on Wednesday to find a solution on worker abandonment and exploitation.
The Human Resources Ministry also summoned the errant employer to a meeting on December 28 with the Home Ministry, National Security Council (NSC), Prime Minister’s Department, Johor NSC, Immigration, Social Security Organisation and the Construction Industry Development Board.
The two ministries will be meeting again on January 16 to continue their engagement and subsequently bring up the issues of migrant worker employment quota applications and improvements in worker management to the cabinet.
Last month, police had arrested hundreds of migrant workers who claimed to have been cheated by their job agent after being spotted walking in droves along a road in Johor.
“Following checks by the Immigration Department, 171 Bangladeshi nationals aged between 19 and 43 were detained for further investigations under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,” said Kota Tinggi district police chief Hussin Zamora in a statement.
He added all those involved were sent to the Setia Tropika Immigration Office in Johor Bahru for further investigations. – January 6, 2024