Centralised Labour Quarters to improve living conditions of construction workers
KUCHING: The Construction Labour Exchange Centre Berhad ( CLAB), a subsidiary of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, launched its first Centralised Labour Quarters (CLQ) in Shah Alam on Thursday to improve the living conditions of construction workers.
A press release yesterday said this initiative is part of the Construction Industry Transformation Programme’s ( CITP) aim to improve overall workplace safety and workers’ amenities in the industry.
CLAB’s CLQ has six blocks consisting of 144 rooms with the capacity to house up to 864 workers.
Minister of Works Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof officially opened the centre, which has facilities on par with CLQs in Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.
“The construction industry is one of the main catalysts driving the growth of the country’s economy, consistently delivering significant benefits to Malaysia’s socioeconomic transformation. In fact, total value of construction in 2017 is expected to exceed RM170 billion, whereas for 2018, it is expected to reach RM 140 billion,” said Fadillah.
“As such, a substantial amount of labour is required to meet this growing demand. Currently, 850,000 construction personnel are registered with CIDB, including professionals, skilled workers and general workers.
“The Ministry of Works places great emphasis on the wellbeing of these workers, as without proper accommodation, the health and safety of not only the construction workers, but also the community at large, can be compromised.”
A target has been set under the Quality, Safety and Professionalism Strategic Thrust of the CITP for eight CLQs for construction workers to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2020 in collaboration with industry partners, as part of on- going initiative to drive improvements in worker living conditions and amenities.
The CLQ is gated and guarded, complete with a surau, cafeteria, kitchen, recreational areas, and medical facilities.
CIDB, through collaborations with construction industry stakeholders, has also produced the Malaysian Standard for Temporary Construction Site Workers’ Amenities and Accommodation (MS2593: 2015).
The board is also currently working closely with the Ministry of Human Resources towards the amendment of Act 446 ( Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990) to include construction workers under its purview.
“As construction projects may differ in timeline, size and value, it is not necessarily feasible to build a CLQ for every project. Hence, renting a CLQ by CLAB for construction workers is the more practical and economical option.
“It is not only a clean and safe environment for workers, but employers also need not worry about the additional burden of operating the quarters, as it is wholly managed and operated by CLAB,” added Fadillah.
MRT Corporation, owner of the Sungai Buloh CLQ, permitted CLAB the use of the premises for a year as a pilot project after the completion of the Sungai BulohKajang MRT.
Currently, CLAB is in talks with the Penang Development Corporation and Putrajaya Corporation to construct and operate two new CLQs at Batu Kawan, Penang and in Putrajaya this year.