Main features of the EMC
- Employers to assume responsibility for their FW from the point of recruitment to their return upon the expiry of contract
- Payment of the levy to be the responsibility of employers
- Accommodation provided by employers to meet minimum standards set
- Security deposit to be paid by employers hiring migrant workers
OUTSTANDING ISSUES NEED REDRESS
The industry stakeholders have reiterated their request for Government to address the following long-running issues of FW before implementing the EMC:
- Transparency in FW application process
- Process for the application of FW to be made simpler, assured and efficient
- The deferment gives Government’s breathing space to deal with registration of illegal or undocumented workers
- Step up enforcement on illegal workers once the above issues have been fully addressed
Employers have complained about the high cost of FW recruitment.
- Called for the elimination of profit-oriented private agents
- Manageable level re-hiring cost should be reduced to encourage employers to convert their illegal workers
- Cutting the overall cost of recruitment and simplifying the process can help reduce the high incidence of illegals. Also to ensure employers do not revert back to hiring illegals
ENFORCEMENT CARD (E-CARD)
Government to issue E-card to employers applying to re-hire illegal FWs
- Open to illegals workers attached to employers in Peninsular Malaysia; must not blacklisted; passed a health screening; non-UNHCR card holder
- For 15 source countries - Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam
- Registration period is from 15 Feb up to 30 June 2017. Registration is free
- E-card act as a validation for workers before they get legal documents from respective countries/embassies to enable employers to apply for rehiring legally
- E-card has security features such as biometrics, name of employer, company registration number, etc
- E-card is only valid for 1 year, up to 15 Feb 2018
- Illegals face repatriation when E-card expires
