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Posted by nkkhoo on 16th February, 2013
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An employer told me that local Malay male workers have serious absenteeism issue. The factory’s or company’s operation is disrupted whenever a worker is absent without notice.
Local bosses prefer foreign workers is not solely due to low wages, the work ethics is their main concern.
This observation is true in 80s because my elder brother did hire a few local Malay workers for a school construction project in Lenga. They came to work at their pleasure and absent to work is a norm.
Since nothing has changed for better in work ethics for Malay workers after 40 years of NEP.
Nevertheless, any reason to hire foreign workers to replace local workers is unacceptable, the employers have to come out better salary, conducive working environment, flexible working hour and reduce manual operations.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/2/15/focus/12712964&sec=focus
How to attract local workers to tough jobs
THERE are legitimate concerns raised over the minimum wage for foreign workers.
It is true that foreign workers will be earning more than the locals since on top of their salary, they are given housing allowance, transport and meals. The second concern is that too much of our money will be flowing out of the country.
I also read that there are some 70,000 unemployed graduates and I can only assume there are probably thousands more locals without degrees who are seeking employment.
My suggestion is that we should hire more locals and reduce our dependency on foreigners. This way, not much money will be flowing out of the country and the new wages with all the allowances will be able to attract locals to compete for the jobs.
The argument that locals do not wish to work in certain sectors does not make sense.
I personally know many locals who are willing to do demanding jobs if they can get a decent wage.
I watched a documentary once that revealed that one of the highest paid persons in London in the old days was the guy who cleaned the sewers. As an employer, whenever I advertise a job slightly above minimum wage, I get a lot of applicants.
I believe if the employers are willing to fork out a reasonable sum for wages, enough to afford a home, pay the bills and put food on the table for a family, I’m sure they will easily find locals to fill their vacancies.
We should not be relying on cheap labour to make money but come up with innovative ways to be more productive.
Another alternative is to invest in machines and new cost-saving technologies.There is just too much uncertainty if we continue with our old ways of hiring workers, even in the industries we feel are not attractive to our own people.
PREM
Petaling Jaya
Posted by nkkhoo on 30th January, 2013
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With cheaper cost to hire foreign workers, local people are sidelined to job opportunities unless they also want to be treated like foreign workers with the pathetic salary.
What is BN’s ETP to reduce foreign worker number to less than a million by 2020?
The working class people are poor in money, but they are rich in the ballot paper.
All working class people must teach BN a hard lesson in the GE for kowtow to employers again and again.
Cabinet: Foreign workers to pay levy instead of employers with immediate effect
By LEE YEN MUN
PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet decided on Wednesday that foreign workers should pay the levy instead of employers.
The decision is to be enforced with immediate effect on new foreign workers and those who wish to renew their work pass, employment pass or temporary work visit pass.
The move is to alleviate the hiring cost for employers, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.
“The minimum wage, which came into force this year has raised the salary for all workers on an average of between 30% and 50%, or from RM600- RM700 per month to RM900 monthly.
“The Government’s move to impose a levy on foreign workers will not be a burden to them as the levy paid is between RM34.16 and RM154.16 per month as compared to a salary increase of between RM300 to RM500 per month,” Ahmad Husni said in a statement Wednesday.
The collection of levy for foreign workers was introduced in 1992 and was fully borne by the workers until 2009 when the Government decided to shift the levy burden to employers.
The 2009 decision was aimed at controlling the increase in the number of foreign workers in the country at that time.
Posted by nkkhoo on 17th January, 2013
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Lim Guan Eng has accused BN is favored foreigners by giving them same minimum wage with local workers is just another political polemic.
Let say PR is running Federal government after GE13 by keeping its promise to pay RM 1,500 for local workers as listed in the Orange Book. Take my word carefuly, PR will not keep its promise of RM 1,500 minimum wage judging from their responses on RM 900 minimum wage policy implemented by BN government.
In case I were wrong, PR government adjusts the minimum wage to RM 1,500 for all local workers in every sector.
Does PR has political will to deport 3 to 5 million foreign workers to force local employers hire locals only?
Do you think Malaysian employers will hire RM 500 foreign workers or RM 1,500 local workers for a same type of job?
Please use your brain, not your ball to think and talk unless you want to be a politician like Lim Guan Eng and Chua Soi Lek.
Kudos to BN government for adhering to the minimum wage policy for foreign workers after intense pressure from the employers to exempt them from the new policy.
Let me stress here that the minimum wage should be the basic salary excluding allowances, overtime pay, incentives and other fringe benefits for the employees and contract workers.
The minimum wage policy for foreign workers is to force local employers to hire more local workers instead of depending on the seemingly unlimited supply of cheap foreign workers, and go for mechanization and automation for productivity improvement.
The employers from local and foreign companies have been exploiting low wages for the past 30 years and the pathetic result is that 80% of Malaysian household income is still at below RM 3000 per month. The net wages growth for the working class does not correspond with the GDP growth over the last 30 years.
The Gini Coefficient, a missing yet critical economical indicator in the national budget has been exceeded the 0.40 red line for last few years is a sign of uneven and unjust wealth distribution amongst the Malaysians. The World Bank estimated that 80% of our national wealth is in the hands of 15% Malaysians and the income gap for haves and have-nots is at least 20 times.
Bank Negara should publish the Gini Coefficient yearly under the transparency and accountability principle to support economic transformation policy.
Local companies should move out their businesses to any country with cheaper labor cost like Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. if they find the labor cost is too prohibitive and uncompetitive for them to stay in Malaysia.
It’s high time for Malaysia to focus on high value-added and high technology industries and services to achieve high income nation status and break away from the middle income trap.
PR especially the DAP seems too have backtracked on the minimum wage policy by attending demonstrations organized by local employers to protest against the minimum wage for foreign workers. There is also no demand for a RM1,500 minimum wage at the KL112 rally.
As seen in The Star, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/1/18/focus/12591898&sec=focus
This letter by Ashok Kumar in the Star is another good read, Give workers their due share.
Subra: Minimum wage policy will set number of foreign workers
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review the need for foreign workers in accordance with the recently implemented minimum wage policy as this will promote greater employment opportunities for local workers.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said yesterday a special committee under his ministry had been set up to channel foreign workers to sectors that would need their labour or could afford to pay them according to the minimum wage policy.
He was speaking after delivering his keynote address at the 2nd Datacentre Malaysia Conference and Exhibition.
The floor wage of RM900 and RM800 per month for the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak took effect this month.
“The minimum wage policy will go on and we will not backtrack on it.”
On Tuesday, Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan had said implementation of the policy was expected to cause about 50,000 foreigners working in petrol stations to lose their jobs this year.
Read more: Subra: Minimum wage policy will set number of foreign workers – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/subra-minimum-wage-policy-will-set-number-of-foreign-workers-1.202881#ixzz2ICCb3M5S
Posted by nkkhoo on 11th January, 2013
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I believe some female Malaysians also want to be bus drivers if the salary is right and their safety is warranted like fencing off driver seat.
All service sectors should be imposed with zero foreign workers to safeguard the welfare of local workers.
Sadly to say, PR’s orange book says nothing about how to protect local workers from uncontrolled influx of foreign workers.
SPAD says no to recruiting foreign bus drivers
News 2013-01-11 10:48
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) — Recruiting foreigners is not the best solution to resolve the critical shortage in public transport drivers, said Public Land Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.
“There’s some pressure on us by bus operators to allow them to hire foreigners as drivers, but we disagree, unless they have permanent resident status.
“The important thing now is to figure out how to attract locals to fill the vacancies,” he told reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SPAD and Mara, here today.
Mara director-general Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad and Syed Hamid signed the smart partnership MoU, witnessed by Rural and Regional Development deputy minister Datuk Hassan Malek and Mara chairman Datuk Idris Jusoh.
Syed Hamid added that SPAD was in the midst of planning an academy to produce high calibre bus drivers who will meet set standards, and may work with Mara on the matter.
SPAD had also allocated RM1.5 million to Mara to enhance its stage bus service to rural areas, he said.
Meanwhile, Hassan said Mara played an important role because private companies were not interested in providing such bus services as it was not profitable.
Ibrahim said the funds allocated by SPAD was timely as Mara incurred about RM9 million in losses for this service.
Posted by nkkhoo on 27th November, 2012
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The bosses always wanted cheap labor to maximize profits, not because of lacking local workers.
A middle income nation with USD 7000 GDP and 28 million population has imported 2 to 3 million foreign workers is a crazy policy only can happen in Bolehland.
Malaysia manufacturing, agriculture, fishery, and other sectors will forever stay at low tech and manual operations with unlimited supply of cheap foreign workers. The welfare and salary of local workers will be suppressed to third world standard.
I was told the earning power of blue color workers in the developed nations is on par with the white color office workers because of no foreign labor import policy in the developed nations.
Malaysia is truly boleh (is bodoh in real meaning), the country imports foreign labor and export high skilled workers at the same time.
This is a self-made middle income trap as I had written before.
Local workers must revolt and stand up against BN more foreign workers policy.
Local Manufacturers Welcome Malaysia-Bangladesh MoU, Says Mustapa
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) — Malaysia’s manufacturing sector has positively welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh on the recruitment of their workers to the country.
Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the first batch of workers, who are expected to arrive in January or February 2013, will be engaged only in the plantation sector.
“The government will be doing the process in stages, so that we can immediately identify issues and rectify it as soon as it arises.
“As the first batch is only opened for the plantation sector, local manufacturers are hopeful that the Bangladeshi workers will be extended to the manufacturing segment as well,” he told reporters after attending the ministry’s networking session in conjunction with Deepavali here Tuesday.
The MoU, signed on Monday by Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Bangladeshi Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, marked the end of the ban on Bangladeshi workers, which was imposed in 2007.
— BERNAMA
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