Workers suspected to be infected with the Influenza A (H1N1) virus are entitled for full daily wages if they are granted medical leave by doctors, said Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

He said the workers should be paid for all the days they have been on medical leave.

dr s subramaniam interview 210308 01 "Employers must recognise their medical leave and treat the infection just like any other illness," he told reporters after appearing on RTM's Dialogue programme last night.

He said workers infected with the virus must be quarantined for at least a week and during the period, employers must allow them to go on medical leave but must be certified by a doctor.

The minister was commenting on reports that some employers had only allowed unpaid leave for their workers suspected of being infected by the virus although they have medical certificates from hospitals or clinics.

Subramaniam said he would discuss with the Social Security Organisation (Sosco) to classify the Influenza A (H1N1) as a disease that would qualify workers to seek assistance from Sosco so long as a worker was infected with the virus while on duty.

He also requested employers to take the necessary precautions to avoid their workers from being infected by the virus, while workers should keep tab on the latest information from the Health Ministry about the disease.

Training local maids

Earlier when answering a question during the Dialogue programme, Subramaniam said his ministry wanted to train local maids through its existing training institutes but there were no takers.

"There was no response despite the ministry undertaking several measures. They (the locals) are not just interested," he said, adding that his ministry wanted to create a pool of professional maids and grade them accordingly.

However, we have not abandoned the idea and would try out other ways in wooing locals to become maids, he said.

He also welcomed feedback from the public on the ministry’s decision to implement an off day per week for domestic and foreign maids.

"We will only implement the ruling after weighing all views, especially from the employers," he said, adding that employers should also realise that the ruling was necessary to maintain Malaysia's image as a democratic and stable country which respected individual and workers' rights.