IPOH: The government has agreed to reinstate the foreign workers replacement system to all sectors effective July 1, said Human Resources Minister M Kula Segaran.
He said the reinstatement of the system would allow employers to get a replacement for a foreign worker who had returned to his home country without having to go through a new application process.
“At the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the government approved the reinstatement of the system that was suspended (by the previous government) in 2017.
“It was an inconvenience to employers who were forced to go through the normal application process and incur further costs to get their replacement workers.
“The government believes this approach will not involve increasing the number of foreign workers but instead retain the number of foreign workers which has been approved for employers before,” he said.
Kula Segaran, who is also the Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament, said this to reporters after a dialogue session with the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCCI) and the Malaysian Palm Oil Manufacturers Association (POMA) at the Perak PCCCI office here today.
Kula Segaran also said the government’s decision was expected to help resolve the issue of shortage of workers faced by the industry to ensure production of goods, especially those for export, was not affected.
He said employers wishing to apply for replacement of foreign workers should contact the Foreign Workers Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Kula Segaran had earlier said that he and Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would present to the Cabinet on re-establishing the government’s mechanism for seeking the replacement of foreign workers with other foreign workers. – Bernama
