Speedy work permits to offset labour shortage in construction sector

comments     Yap Mun Ching     Published     Updated

The Home Affairs Ministry has set up a green lane to process foreign labour work permits from contractors to avoid the manpower shortage expected from the mass exit of illegal immigrants by the end of the month.

According to the Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) which represents the construction and services sector the ministry has also promised to half the approval time from four weeks to two.

MBAM president Lau Mun Cheong said the green lane will be open every Monday and Wednesday and all contractors or sub-contractors can submit their applications through the association at no extra cost.

Lau stressed that employers should no longer seek the services of employment agents as these would not be entertained by the ministry.

"The ministry has reaffirmed that the amnesty period will not be extended. Therefore, we appeal to all members (of the construction industry) not to engage or harbour any illegal workers from Aug 1," he said during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

"Workers who cannot get a ticket to leave by the end of this month may obtain a special pass for an extended period if they have proof of having purchased a travel pass. But this cannot be for too long," he added.

Yesterday, the ministry announced that a two-week grace period will be given to immigrants who were unable to secure ferry or flight tickets to leave Malaysia by July 31.

Under new provisions in the Immigration Act, illegal immigrants arrested from Aug 1 onwards risk a maximum fine of RM10,000 or a jail term not exceeding five years or both and mandatory whipping up to six strokes.

Employers of undocumented workers are also liable to fines between RM10,000 and RM50,000 per employee and a jail term of up to one year, while employers who hire more than five illegal immigrants would be liable to mandatory whipping and jail terms not exceeding five years.

Feeling the pinch

Meanwhile, MBAM vice-president Patrick Wong said the construction industry is already feeling the pinch due to the exodus of illegal immigrants, particularly those from Indonesia.

"Some job sites have come to a complete stop, especially the bigger housing schemes in Johor Bahru. Some work sites have only 20 percent of their work force left.

"The consequence of this is very serious. Production will drop unless we have replacements fast. Some developers will virtually go bankrupt due to the delay in the delivery of houses," he said.

Wong added that 120 to 180 other industries will also suffer from the knock-on effects of a slowdown in the construction sector.

He also claimed that over the past week, police raids at construction sites have increased, causing disruption to work progress.

"Each time there is a raid, everything comes to a standstill at the sites. We have been warned (by the government) that there will be a massive raid on Aug 1," he added.

Wong also clarified that contractors hire illegal workers because most of them are not employed on a monthly wage basis, unlike other industries, and not because they are a cheaper alternative.

"We operate on daily work basis. Some days we may require 10 workers but on other days we may have no work. Illegal workers are easily available (on these terms).

"It is not true that they are cheaper. In fact, they ask for higher wages because they face greater risk of being arrested," said Wong.

Industry shocked

In response to a comment by Immigration director-general Mohd Jamal Kamdi that there has been hardly any work permit applications from contractors despite the looming deadline, Wong said the reason for this is because the new legislation has come as a shock to the industry.

"We have been using Indonesian workers for the past 10 to 15 years. No other nationals are as suitable. The industry is totally unprepared for this change," he said.

Since the government announced a general amnesty period on March 22 for illegal immigrants to leave the country without being charged on passport violations, some 200,000 persons have departed voluntarily.

Immigration officials also estimated that 10,000 persons are departing the country each day leading up to the expiry of the amnesty on July 31.

Malaysia is said to be home to an estimated 1.5 million illegal immigrants with the majority originating from neighbouring Indonesia.



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