ALOR GAJAH, May 26 — Dirty and inhumane — that is the pathetic picture of workers’ housing inhabited by 27 employees of a chicken egg production factory here.
Without basic amenities such as mattresses, electricity and water supply as well as a dirty kitchen, the foreign workers from Myanmar are forced to live in poor conditions because the employer has failed to comply with the employees’ minimum standards of housing rules.
The situation, which was uncovered through an integrated Workers’ Housing Op held for more than two hours, also showed two workers were directed by the factory’s employer to live in a dilapidated shack to look after a chicken feed storage warehouse there.
Exco for Unity, Information, Manpower and Consumer Affairs Ngwe Hee Sem said the results of the inspection found that the employer provided 15 units of accommodation of various types to 27 foreign workers employed without any accommodation certificate.
“We also found that the employer has not made any application to obtain the certificate as well as various offences detected under the Employees’ Minimum Standards for Housing, Accommodations and Amenities ilities Regulations Act 1990,” he told media after conducting a Workers’ Housing Op in Kuala Sungai Baru here today.
Also present were Melaka State Manpower Department (JTK) director Rohana Bakar and Melaka Department of Occupational Safety and Health director Rabaayah Daud.
He said the employer also violated the rules under Section 24D, namely accommodation without a certificate, Section 24K (no maintenance) and the Minimum Accommodation Rules of not providing beds, mattresses and lockable cupboards.
Ngwe explained that the employer also violated rules under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) which is failure to pay contributions for three employees and not registering them.
“Hence, an investigation paper has been opened and at the same time we will monitor the improvements imposed on the employer and the company,” he said.
Ngwe explained that the situation was very depressing, especially when the employer had been given a reminder letter on the offence previously.
“However, the employer has still failed to comply (with the rules). As in today’s operation, we find the same situation prevailing since the inspection done last February.
“The employer’s excuse was that alternative accommodation has been found elsewhere but it has not moved yet. But the JTK thinks this is where their actual accommodation is,” he said, adding that the workers have been employed for more than seven years and are still holed up in the same poor housing.
He said the authorities will not compromise and has warned the employer who is still flouting the rules to make immediate amends.
“We will conduct more frequent operations and go down to the ground to ensure that workers’ housing meets the set standards because the situation so far has been very disappointing,” he said. — Bernama
