About 50 Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) members today gathered at the main entrance of the Human Resources Ministry and Home Ministry to protest plans to bring in up to 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers in the next three years.

They tried to enter the premises of both ministry complexes to hand over a memorandum at about 10.30am, but were barred by security personnel.

This prompted MTUC to hold a picket outside the complexes with placards and posters.

"They would have met with us if we were Bangladeshis," acting president Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid quipped.

"This is the first time we were barred from entering government premises. It is shameful because this is our right as citizens," he said.

The protesters chanted slogans like 'Long live the workers' and held posters calling for local workers to be prioritised against foreigners.

A representative of the two ministries met with them outside the complexes to accept the memorandum 15 minutes later.

'No compromise'

Calling for a halt on foreign workers intake, MTUC urged the government to form a royal commission of inquiry on the issue.

"The influx of foreign workers will adversely impact generations to come.

"We need to ensure the rights of local workers are protected, especially under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement," he said.

He said MTUC will meet to discuss its future course of action.

"This will not be the last you hear from MTUC on this. We will not compromise on treachery against workers."

Putrajaya and Dhaka have signed an agreement to allow more Bangladeshi general workers to work in Malaysia.

There are an additional 1.5 million workers registered on the Bangladeshi recruitment database who can now apply for jobs in Malaysia.

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