KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) suggests that local workers at the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market be provided with insurance and medical coverage, according to occupational risk factors based on Safety, Comfort and Health.

MTUC president, Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor said the government’s efforts to encourage local youth to work in the wholesale market to reduce dependence on foreign workers was good.

"However, before offering them a lucrative salary, make sure employers in the wholesale market are able to provide insurance and medical coverage to their employees because of the heavy workload such as unloading and driving trucks in the wholesale market at a relatively high risk.

"It does not matter whether they are paid on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, they have to be protected according to the Labour laws and employers must comply with the Employment Act 1955, the Social Security, Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994,” he told Bernama.

On Wednesday, the Federal Territories Ministry proposed to offer job opportunities at the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market to unemployed youth with a salary of up to RM2,400 a month as foreigners are not allowed to work there anymore. 

Its minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the move was also an effort to help young people who have lost their jobs and are unemployed due to the movement control order (MCO) implemented to break the Covid-19 infection chain.

Elaborating, Abdul Halim said the traders and wholesalers at the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market also need to be briefed on worker protection laws, for the welfare of both parties.

"Thus, government agencies such as the Labour Department, the Social Security Organisation, and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health need to go down to the ground to brief them on its importance before hiring local workers on a large scale,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association president Wong Keng Fatt said since the MCO was tightened on May 13, no foreigners were allowed to work at the Selayang daily market and Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market.

He said they now needed about 1,000 workers to fill the vacancies.

"Their current wage rate is between RM100 and RM120 a day and work only three days a week for eight hours a day from 10 am to 6 pm.

"Our main problem now is that many local workers do not last long. Many came for interviews and ask for jobs, but after working for about three to four hours there are some who run away,” he said. — Bernama