Eatery group wants hiring of foreigners simplified

KUALA LUMPUR: The government should simplify the process of hiring foreign workers to ease the acute shortage of labour in local eateries, the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas) said.

This was one of the recommendations of its president T. Muthusamy during a meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) here yesterday.

He said the government’s policy to prioritise local workers and reduce the number of foreigners was a problem for local eateries.

“The industry is facing a shortage of workers, especially in Indian restaurants. We see many closures, downsizing and some even forced to cut operating hours.

“I am here to ask the government to find a new mechanism, to simplify the process and reduce the cost of hiring foreign workers,” he told reporters after the meeting.

Muthusamy said eatery owners must go through a complicated pro cess to meet the requirements stipulated by the government.

“We get 10 to 15 calls daily from members who are complaining and asking how to get approval.

“At the moment, the majority of our members are facing 40 to 50% shortage in workers,” he added.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Tan Sri Azman Shah Haron said the government would need to restructure and fix the labour policies to avoid confusion.

“At the moment, the policies are not clear and coherent. They have become the source of confusion among the employers and employees and there are parties taking advantage of this situation,” he said.

MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said the body proposed the use of retirees and rehiring workers up to the age of 65 to the CEP.

“If we use 65 as the benchmark, then we will have an additional one million workers who can continue working,” he said. — Bernama