MTEM urges govt to study ‘100 pct foreign workers’ proposal

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) has urged the government to thoroughly study before considering the proposal by export oriented local manufacturing companies for their production line workers to comprise 100 per cent foreigners.

Its chief executive officer Ahmad Yazid Othman said the proposal was impractical and would have an adverse effect for the country in that local skilled workers in that sector would decrease.

He said MTEM as a Malay economy non-governmental organisation noted that the government had not yet made any decision on the issue.

“Even though the proposal is restricted to workers in the production line, that is low skilled and not involving a whole factory’s operation, it must still be carefully studied as we fear other sectors might follow suit,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

He also said Malaysia as a country that was gearing towards high income status should not widen the unemployment gap particularly among lower level labourers.

Ahmad Yazid said based on data issued by the Malaysian Statistics Department for the first quarter of this year, the unemployment rate stood at 3.5 per cent compared to 3.4 per cent in 2016 and 3.1 per cent in 2015.

In this regard, he said, the government should pay attention to the issue, in its efforts to meet the labour market demand.

“MTEM hopes the government would not easily give in to the demand by parties with interest as its priority is to build the country and people towards achieving National Transformation 2050,” he said.

Home deputy minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed was earlier reported to have said that the government was considering to allow companies carrying out export activities for the manufacturing segments to fill 100 per cent of its labour needs with foreign workers. — Bernama