KUALA LUMPUR: Employers who have yet to register their businesses and workers with the Social Security Organisation (Socso) have been urged to do so before the 12th Ops Kesan is carried out in March.
Socso chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said employers will be given 29 days, beginning Feb 1 until 29 of the weed out process, to register their businesses and workers.
Stern actions will be taken against errant employers if they fail to do so, he said.
"Up to December last year, a total of 672,728 active employers have registered under the Employees' Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) with 8.14 million employees in the country being registered.
"For the registration of foreign workers, from Jan 1 last year a total of 1.23 million, out of more than 2 million foreign workers in the country, have already registered with us.
"The remaining 800,000 foreign workers are still yet to register with Socso. We target about 1 million foreign workers to register with us this year.
"I urge those who have yet to register to please do so within the period given before we start with the Ops Kesan on March 2," he said at a press conference at its headquarters here.
On the compound issued to errant employers from the previous Ops Kesan, he said a total of 22,093 compounds worth RM16.184 million have been issued from 2009 until last year.
He also said 16,401 cases have been charged under the same act for various offences.
"As of last year alone, a total of 2,840 compounds worth about RM2 million have been issued. We really hope that the number of compound issued would be reduced in the coming Ops Kesan and also hope that there will be no more such operation for the years to come," he added.
Mohammed Azman said employers who fail to register their businesses and employees within the weed out process period will be issued with compound of RM5,000, or a fine of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
"We believe that there are still many active employers out there who have yet to register under Section 4 and 5 of the Employees' Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) and Section 14 and 16 of the Employment Insurance Scheme Act 2017 (Act 800).
"From the previous Ops Kesan, about 13 per cent of employers that we have identified have not registered and contributed with us.
"Most of their excuses were that they claimed they were not aware of it, they run a small business operation, or having part-time or contract workers so they thought it was okay not to register their workers with Socso.
"No matter what the situation is, they need to register their workers. It is compulsory," he said.