Recruitment Agency Association denies exorbitant charges claim
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Foreign Workers Recruitment Agency Association (PAPPAS) has refuted a claim that it charged exorbitantly for new applications and renewal of work permits.
Its chairman, Anthony Leong, said their members have never charged RM5,000 to RM7,000 per head for new application and RM2,000 to RM3,000 for renewal of work permits.
“The fees chargeable by PAPPAS’s members are in the region of RM500 to RM1,000 per head for recruitment of new worker and RM50 to RM200 per head for renewal of work permits,” he said in refuting the allegation of a spokesman for a group of employers.
Leong added on top of the services fees charged, the chargeable fees (not recruitment agency fees) per worker are RM1,225 including of levy fees, processing fees and visas payable to the Immigration Department, RM200 for Growarisan, RM272 for mandatory insurances for construction and manufacturing sector.
Therefore the total amount payable including of maximum service fees of RM1,000 for construction and manufacturing sectors is RM2,697.
Whereas the total for service sector is RM3,177 and agriculture sector is RM2,097 respectively for new recruitment, he explained.
As for the renewal of work permit, he said the maximum service fees charged by PAPPAS members would be RM200 per head.
“This makes the total renewal fees per worker is RM1,897 for construction and manufacturing sector, RM2,377 for service sector and RM1,297 for agriculture sector respectively,” he said in a statement yesterday .
“If the spokesman can show proof of any recruitment agency that charged the exorbitant amounts, he can make a complaint to PAPPAS. Our committee will look into the complaint and do the necessary action. However, not all recruitment agencies in Sabah are members of PAPPAS, thus the bad apple is really beyond the control of PAPPAS. PAPPAS will do its level best to curb the exorbitant charges,” Leong added.
Meanwhile, PAPPAS welcomes the Warisan-led State Government’s moves in solving the illegal immigrants working in Sabah. PAPPAS will co-operate with the State Government to reduce the problem of illegal immigrants working illegally in Sabah.
Again, PAPPAS emphasizes on the importance of engaging the correct, legal and licensed recruitment agency by the employers so as to reduce the unnecesary exorbitant fees and risk of being cheated by the unlicensed recruitment agency.
PAPPAS further urges the employers to ensure that they should only engage foreign workers with proper and valid work permits to avoid heavy punishment under the Immigration Act 1959/63 if they are caught with hiring illegal workers.