KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Trade Union Congress (MTUC) has called for the government to investigate and locate all foreign workers who came to Malaysia and promised employment but were not given jobs.
MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor said that at the root of this problem is the recruitment chain for foreign workers, often through dubious agencies.
He called for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate these recruitment agencies, which are already mired with corruption, bribery, abuse of power, gangsters and cartels.
He added that there should also be strict action towards employers who violate workers' rights.
"The MTUC would like to remind the government that when the recruitment process was simplified, it implied a violation of labour laws in Malaysia, subsequently reflecting that Malaysia is a country that has forced labour.
"Companies seize the opportunity to profit in the foreign labour supply industry, which is considered a gold mine. This industry is associated with various disrepute, including corruption, kickbacks, misuse of power, gangsters, and cartels.
"The nightmare of forced labour will persist if no firm action is taken against employers who violate workers' rights, including absence of employment, failure to pay wages, overtime work, and various violations of labour laws including (provision of) standard housing," he said in a statement.
Kamarul added Malaysia would risk regressing again into Tier 3 in the United States Human Trafficking watch should it fail to address issues of workers who were brought into non-existent jobs.
This is in the wake of an incident on Dec 20 in which 171 Bangladeshis marched to file a report claiming that their agents had failed to provide them with jobs after three to six months.
The workers were detained on the same day and handed over to the immigration department for overstaying but had valid documents.
Kamarul had also criticised the police and immigration department for detaining these workers, adding that assistance in finding employment should be offered instead of detention.