Labour Dept helps people find jobs, protects workers’ rights

KOTA KINABALU: The role of the Labour Department towards job seekers includes helping them find jobs, providing them with advisory and negotiating services once they find employment and to also protect their rights and that of employees in Sabah.

Sabah Labour Department deputy director Muhamad Fauzi Abdul Ghani said at the 2017 Sabah Labour Convention yesterday, that the 2016 minimum salary wage was enforced on July 1, 2016 on all employers irrespective of the number of their workers.

The minimum wage rate in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan is RM920 per month, he said. He also said that the government had taken the balanced approach in its consideration towards workers and employers.

“This has been the major step undertaken by the ministry to raise the welfare of workers in the private sector, while at the same time, avoid burdening the employers,” he said.

At the same time, workers security coverage under SOCSO has been widened to cover all workers, irrespective of their wage level, he said.

The ceiling contribution for insured workers has been raised from RM3,000 to RM4,000 for the purpose of contribution and benefit payments, he said, adding that the move has benefited about 500,000 workers.

Muhamad also said that about 6.5 million workers were covered by SOCSO.

Similarly, SOCSO has also implemented its Return to Work programme to help workers who are insured to be rehabilitated to enable them to return to work.

“Although the aim of the programme is to allow the workers to return to the same employer, there are workers who were laid off and had to be assisted to find new jobs that were suited to their capabilities,” he said.

The deputy director reminded that it is difficult for disabled workers to market themselves in the open and competitive market without help and guidance.

He said that since the programme was launched in 2007, SOCSO had helped more than 16,467 workers to get reemployed.

And to help employers, the department also provides allocation for human resource training so that workers can improve their expertise and be competitive.

Muhamad added that the Human Resource Ministry through the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB) had established the 1Malaysia Outplacement Centre (1MOC) to help market laid-off Malaysian workers.

In 2016, a total of 1,604 workers who were laid off registered with the 1MOC, he said. Of the number, 810 had successfully been re-employed, while 769 are undergoing training.