COMMENT The strike at the Kelapa Sawit industrial area in Johor a week ago, after a strike against the same employer at Tebrau a day earlier have given us a clear warning that the government must conduct a thorough study and investigate migrant workers' issues.

The government must first investigate the accusations made by the migrant workers against their employer, including on working long hours and low wages, poor lodging facilities and their ill-treatment by certain administrative staff.

The accusations are serious and will definitely tarnish our national image if taken lightly by the authorities.

The government must also not forget that we have just been downgraded to Tier 3 in the Human Trafficking Report released by the United States State Department, which has given us a bad name, globally.

Secondly, the government must realise that our economy can no longer rely on unskilled migrant workers.

In the midst of developing the Iskandar region, we have attracted investments from all over the world.

Yet, the industries are still highly labour-intensive, as there are no sufficient incentives for small- and medium-scale enterprises and industries to undergo mechanisation.

We are competing for talents with our neighbouring countries and we are losing. Malaysia loses millions of skilled talents to other countries, especially to Singapore, while we recruit only unskilled migrant workers who will also eventually drive our local women workers out of the labour force.

Why women are reluctant to work

Third, with the low wages paid to unskilled migrant workers, our own Malaysian women workers are reluctant to join the labour force, since the pay may not even be able to cover the cost of childcare.

Hence, quitting their jobs seems to be a better choice for a lot of middle-lower income  women workers, since we have not come up with a better working environment for families with children.

Our women labour participation still remains, low at 52.4 percent in 2013 if compared with neighbouring countries like Thailand (70 percent) and Singapore (58 percent). We are actually losing a lot more resources that we have invested in public education.

There are about six female students to four male students enrolled into tertiary institutions in the country, while only slightly more than 50 percent Malaysian women choose to work.

This is a structural issue and can only be resolved with firm political will that can change our economic pattern, provide better living quality and higher wages to all.

I must remind the government that the latest migrant worker strike that took place in Kulai will neither be the first nor the last one if the government doesn’t address the real issues. Proper actions must be taken immediately.

WONG SHU QI is the DAP assemblyperson for Senai, Johor.