The government's conflicting policy of cracking down on illegal workers and at the same time opening up several sectors to recruit migrant workers has puzzled certain quarters.

Penang-based social reform organisation, Aliran believes that the inconsistency would only create opportunities for employers to exploit low-skilled and cheap foreign labour at the expense of local manpower.

"It will deprive low-skilled and semi-skilled locals from earning a decent income in their own country," said the Aliran executive committee today.

It said the government policy was neither a sign of manpower liberalisation nor is it motivated by a desire to help poor neighbouring countries by providing employment for their workers.

According to Aliran, the policy was solely designed to suit the interests of Malaysian corporate bodies and businessmen.

Compared to local workers, unskilled and semi-skilled foreigners are shortchanged, denied basic labour rights, barred from joining unions and even forced to surrender their passports to the employers.

Their employers tend to deport them home at the first sign of any discontentment over the exploitative and deplorable working conditions, lower than promised wages, long working hours and at times even physical abuse.

A check at a car wash outlet in Air Itam, Penang, which employs about 15 Nepalese and Burmese workers, revealed that the foreigners were working between 15 and 16 hours daily, without a single rest day. They are paid RM600.

At times their employer can be seen verbally and physically abusing the workers over the slightest of mistakes.

Revamp policy

Meanwhile, Aliran believes the government policy would hurt Malaysian workers, especially from the low-income bracket.

By opening up a few more sectors, the government would allow corporate bodies and businessmen to make hefty profits on the back of cheap foreign labour.

Local employers would lay off locals and resort to employ contract foreign workers, who are both cheap and vulnerable to exploitation.

The policy would also encourage more migrant, both legal and illegal, to come here and further depress the wages of locals.

Although it is not wrong to hire foreigners, Aliran said the government should revamp its policy to safeguard the interests of the local workforce.

The organisation suggested that foreign workers be allowed to join trade unions, given the right for collective bargaining and paid the same wages as locals in similar jobs.

"Let us not be regarded as a nation that exploits cheap migrant labour to fuel economic growth at the expense of low-income local workforce," said Aliran.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.