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FMM backs plan for 6P workers to be normalised

While the manufacturing sector acknowledges that the three-year term for the 6P legalised foreign workers would come to and end in January 2015, the industry urges the government to consider extending these workers and converting them to normal foreign workers in view of the investment undertaken by employers to train and equip these workers with the right skills set for the manufacturing sector.

Workers under the 6P amnesty programme had to be trained and equipped with the skills required by the manufacturing sector as most of them did not have the necessary skills and were not suitable for employment in the sector. Employers in need of foreign workers during that period were forced to take the 6P legalised workers so as not to result in any major disruptions to their business operations as recruitment from the source country was frozen.

Much time and investment has been spent on training these workers, only for them to be sent back in three years. Employers would now have to submit their fresh applications to get in new workers to replace those to be sent back, and this process would take time and money and thereafter to train the new workers. In addition, employers would have to bear the repatriation costs of these 6P workers.

FMM supports the urging made by the construction sector to allow these workers tocontinue working in Malaysia. FMM therefore strongly urges the government to consider extending these workers and converting them to normal workers so that they could continue to be renewed and employed until they reach their maximum employment period of 10 years.


DR YEOH OON TEAN is CEO of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.

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