Foreign workers: 490 agencies commit offences

2007/12/16

Foreign workers: 490 agencies commit offences

KANGAR: Close to 500 companies that hire foreign workers were caught for committing various offences during a nationwide blitz that started on Nov 1.

Peninsular Labour Department deputy director-general Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohamed said all 490 companies were agencies for foreign workers.

The offences included operating without being registered with the Labour Department, failing to take out workers' compensation insurance, and failing to inform the department within 14 days of hiring new foreign workers.

Certain companies had also deducted sums from workers' salaries without permission from the department.

Sheikh Yahya said that 47 of the employers were fined and 30 would be charged in court. The rest had been issued with warnings.

Of the 500,000 employers registered with the Labour Department, about 100,000 are known to handle foreign workers.

"This operation will continue until all the companies registered with the department have been checked," he said after a career carnival organised by the state government on Friday.

He also urged job seekers to check the company registration number with the Labour Department of any employment agency they dealt with.