KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry has urged workers to report violations of the Employment Act 1955 to the Labour Department to enable action to be taken.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud said employers who fail to comply with the act can be fined a maximum of RM50,000 if found guilty.
He said the most recent changes to the act, which include a decrease in working hours, were made in accordance with a recommendation by the International Labour Organisation.
"The Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 came into force on Jan 1, 2023.
"The number of working hours was decreased in order to comply with the International Labour Organisation's Reduction of Hours of Work Recommendation, 1962 (No. 116), which recommends nations that employ a 48-hour work week to take action to cut back on working hours without reducing wages," he told the New Straits Times.
He said employers who lacked understanding of the new amendments would receive advisory services and appropriate corrective measures from the Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department.
"If there are employers who fail to comply with the amendments, employees can file complaints at the nearest Labour Department office to allow the investigation to be carried out.
"Advisory services and appropriate corrective measures will be given by the peninsula Labour Department to employers who lack understanding.
"Employers who fail to comply with the provisions above may be subjected to prosecution or a fine not exceeding RM50,000 if convicted," he said, adding that the act, however, was only applicable in Peninsular Malaysia.