FMT 19th Mar 2024: Plantation firms wary of ‘forced labour’ concerns in hiring 200,000 surplus foreign workers/criminal syndicate victims in Malaysia, says minister – indeed he’s right, who wants to take on destitute foreign workers often with US$4-7000 in debt
Andy Hall’s comments: This is indeed a correct and accurate statement by the Plantation firms Minister. These estimated 200,000 or more surplus foreign workers in Malaysia are surely indebted (in debt bondage) and often now irregular and destitute. Many are acute victims of modern slavery, forced labour, labour exploitation or even human trafficking and victims of a criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshi workers for forced labour in Malaysia, with debts of often over US$4,000-$6,000 per person. They are desperate for any jobs or income they can get, to survive, to eat, to remit money to their families to pay off the extortionate and ever increasing interest on their debt from high migration related costs and fees paid to get a job in Malaysia, particularly from Bangladesh. Malaysia has got itself into a real mess here with a systemically corrupt migration management and recruitment system devoid of the rule of law and full of impunity for illegality and extortion that has led to this situation with over 200,000 surplus indebted foreign workers in destitution in the country. And of course employers are now wary of hiring such desperate workers, given their debt and destitution, as it’s hard to say in such a situation such a worker could honestly be said to have given informed consent to the terms and conditions of their new employment, especially in dirty, dangerous and demanding (3Ds) sectors of work like plantations and agriculture.
Johari Ghani says the plantation industry fears that hiring the surplus of foreign workers from other sectors may be deemed as employing them against their will.
Original source: FMT by FMT Reporters – 19th March 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: Despite the shortage of manpower, the plantation industry is wary of hiring foreign workers brought in to work in other sectors for fear these labourers would be deemed as being employed “against their will”, Johari Ghani said.
The plantation and commodities minister told the Dewan Negara that while the palm oil industry lacked almost 40,000 workers, there was a “surplus” of workers in other sectors, Bernama reported.
Johari said there was an excess of 165,497 foreign workers in the manufacturing sector, while there was an excess of 27,158 foreign workers in the services sector.
The excess of foreign workers occurred after Malaysia reopened businesses following the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
The excess led to the government freezing the hiring quota of foreign workers for the manufacturing and services sectors.
Subsequently, a “recalibration” was carried out, with the unemployed foreign workers offered work in the plantation sector, Johari said.
“However, the plantation industry is afraid to hire (excess foreign workers) because if some of them are hired against their will, it will cause them to be deemed as forced labour,” he was quoted as saying.
Johari went on to say that the ministry is currently conducting a “pilot test” by hiring 60 local workers specialising in harvesting to change the perception of working in the plantations.
“We will train them to harvest oil palm trees and call them specialist harvesters and hopefully they can earn a salary of up to RM3,000.”
In comparing the country to Indonesia, Johari said Malaysia has a labour problem.
He said 100% of Indonesia’s workers were local and that they have harvesters with specialised skills, some of whom had earlier worked in Malaysia.
Johari said the country’s palm oil industry suffered losses of RM20 billion to RM30 billion following the labour shortage.
Background Reading:
17th March 2024: FMT – Malaysia’s treatment of migrant workers utterly shameful
New Age 16th Mar 2024: Bangladeshi government must mend issues to keep Malaysia job market open
15th March 2024 SCMP: Malaysians deride minister’s idea to rebrand palm oil workers as ‘specialised harvesters’
14th March 2024: The Star – Opinion: When work in Malaysia is a con – the criminal syndicate trafficking Bangladeshis for forced labour in Malaysia
FMT 13th March 2024: Bangladeshi migrants file police reports after falling victim to job scam/criminal syndicate trafficking workers from Bangladesh for forced labour in Malaysia
SCMP 12th Mar 2024: Malaysia to slash migrant workforce amid intolerance, job scam crisis involving Bangladeshi labourers
Daily Star Editorial 10th March 2024: Migrating to a life of unemployment
Daily Star 10th Mar 2024: Distressed in Malaysia – Thousands of Bangladeshi migrants jobless, unpaid or underpaid
Malay Mail 9th Mar 2024: Activists warn rushed 31st Mar visa deadline in Malaysia could force firms to source foreign workers unethically (includes my commentary on the abrupt policy change)
9th Mar 2024 The Star: No extension of May 31 foreign worker deadline
NST 9th Mar 2024: Keep recruitment agencies in a list rather than shutting them down, govt told
See also NST 9th Mar 2024: Sourcing migrant workers takes time, ‘not like buying cattle’, employer groups tell govt
NST 8th Mar 2024: Eliminate middlemen from migrant worker recruitment process, govt told
Star 8th Mar 2024: May 31 deadline for foreign workers recruitment under recalibration programme remains, says Saifuddin
Malay Mail 8th Mar 2024: Saifuddin Nasution: No more agents for Bangladeshi worker recruitment
6th March 2024: Business Times –Sudden change in foreign worker policy by Malaysian government leaves industry in limbo
6th Mar 2024 Edge: Foreign worker intake deadline changes will leave manufacturers in the lurch, says FMM
6th Mar 2024 FMT: Industry players shocked by foreign worker policy change, says FMM
5th March 2024: NCCIM urges govt to review unused foreign worker quota deadline
3rd March 2024: Ensure ‘crooks’ do not gain from repatriation programme, says activist
2nd March 2024 The Star: A chance for illegals to go home
2nd March 2024 The Star: Sarawak immigration extends RTK2.0 until June
EDGE 1st Mar 2024: Home Ministry moves to free up foreign workers quota, unused allocations to be cancelled from June 1
1st March 2024 FMT: 600,000 foreign workers urged to take easy exit home
1st March 2024 The Star: Use repatriation programme to return home, 600,000 illegals told
1st March 2024 MalayMail: Saifuddin reminds employers to get their foreign worker affairs in order before March 31
28th February 2024 The Star: New programme lets migrants off the hook without being prosecuted
25th February 2024 The Star: Businesses want foreign worker hiring freeze lifted
31st January 2024 NST: Govt to implement Migrant Repatriation Programme starting March
31st January 2024 The Edge: Cabinet agrees to extend freeze on hiring of foreign workers, says home minister
31st January 2024 FMT: Migrant repatriation programme set for March 1
31st January 2024 The Star: Migration Repatriation Programme to commence on March 1, says Home Ministry
RTV Online 1st Mar 2024: Expatriates die without getting work in Malaysia (google translate)
27th February 2024: SCMP – Malaysian firm probed for human trafficking after 93 Bangladeshi workers found abandoned
26th February 2024: Statement by Independent Migrant Worker Rights Specialist Andy Hall on Joint KDN, KSM and MAPO Operation to Rescue More Destitute and Stranded Victims of the Alleged Criminal Syndicate Trafficking Workers from Bangladesh for Forced Labour in Malaysia (includes updated stories on the ‘Cheras’ case)
18th Februrary2024: Bangladeshis pay much higher than peers (US$4500++) to reach Malaysia job market – syndicates, impunity and systemic forced labour
8th February 2024 – Activists: Duped Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia sought RM2m in unpaid wages, but only got half(first reported compensation settlement for Bangladesh Malaysia organised crime syndicate victims being trafficked for forced labour in Malaysia)
6th February 2024: Benar News – Malaysian Labor Court orders employers to pay Bangladeshi workers RM1 million in unpaid wages – first reported compensation settlement for Bangladesh Malaysia organised crime syndicate victims being trafficked for forced labour in Malaysia
6th January 2024: 171 duped migrant workers deserve compensation, govt told (includes my full statement)
5th January 2024: New Strait Times – MCA: Don’t just fine employers, hold ministry accountable as well for unemployed foreign workers
30th December 2023: Migrants being duped into Malaysia because of govt’s failure to curb criminal trafficking syndicates and organised crime network, says activist Andy Hall
30th Decenber 2023: New Strait Times – Recruitment agencies accused of deception as Bangladeshi victims speak out on exploitation and fear
29th December 2023: Malay Mail – Set up probe on exploitation of migrant workers and new ministry to manage their affairs, Suhakam tells Putrajaya
28th Decenber 2023: FMT – Malaysia has entered ‘slave labour’ territory, says ex-MP – Charles Santiago calls for specific set-ups to manage migrant workers
27th December 2023: New Strait Times – MTUC demand govt, MACC probe into corrupt recruitment practices of foreign workers
26th December 2023: FMT – High recruitment fees make greedy agents bring in workers, says group
25th December 2023: FMT – Probe recruitment agents, MACC told after arrest of Bangladeshis
22nd November 2023: MALAYSIAKINI – Full probe of migrant worker syndicate, Malaysian HR Minister Sivakumar says
9th November 2023: Malaysia – The State of the Nation: Flaws of foreign worker system laid bare in declassified report
5th November 2023: Malaysian HR Minister pledges nationwide operations concerning plight of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia following Andy Hall’s complaint letter to the OHCHR
30th October 2023: FMT: Andy Hall refers stranded Bangladeshi workers’ plight in Malaysia to UN Human Rights Council
20th October 2023 Malaysiakini: Long-awaited foreign worker management report declassified in Malaysia (my comments added)
19th October 2023: Malaysia facing huge excess of 1/4 million migrant laborers
21st September 2023: Malaysian government has 15 source countries for foreign workers – Comments by Andy Hall
20th September 2023: Rate of abused Bangladeshi workers’ entry into Malaysia worrying, says migrant rights activist Andy Hall
10th July 2023 – Migrants in Malaysia: Hundreds left stranded in recruitment scam
11th April 2023: In Malaysia, migrants say they are in limbo after promised jobs fall through
25th April 2023 Sarawak Post: Malaysia And Modern Slavery – ‘PM Must Take Control’
23rd April 2023: REUTERS: Malaysia probes cases of migrant workers left jobless, without passports (with background summary and articles included in my blog post)
17th April 2023 Daily Star: Approval For Labour Recruitment – Malaysia’s transparency questioned by Bangladesh
13th April 2023: Stranded Bangladeshis endure ‘hell’ in Malaysia – The group of 35 now wants to go home after being left without jobs for months
11th Mar 2023 MALAYSIAKINI: Malaysian HR Minister Sivakumar – Zero checks for migrant quota approvals only until March 2023
13th Feb 2023: My Perspective published by FMT – ‘Time to address corruption in Malaysia’s migrant worker management’
10th Jan 2023: ‘Bangladeshi recruitment cartels’ grip must end’ – Govt now acting on billion-ringgit ‘human trafficking syndicates’
1st Oct 2022 Malay Mail: PM Anwar says Putrajaya to Ease Rules on Hiring Migrant Workers
7th July 2022 The Vibes: How Bestinet courted controversy over migrant worker recruitment – MACC’s raid on IT company once again casts spotlight on alleged hiring monopoly
June 2022 The Star: Human Traffickers made RM2 billion through syndicate smuggling in over 100,000 workers from Bangladesh
