The government has been urged to formulate a special law for domestic workers and provide something similar to the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme for foreign labourers in Malaysia.

These were among the 14 recommendations for a comprehensive national policy on labour migration drafted by the Migrant Workers' Right to Redress Coalition following a three-month discussion with stakeholders.

The coalition, formed by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), Tenaganita, North South Initiative (NSI), Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit), Persatuan Sahabat Wanita and Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), would submit the proposals to the government next month.

The coalition also held discussions with the Human Resources Ministry, Health Ministry, Immigration Department, embassies and Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

The coalition urged the government to treat migrant workers similar to the local workforce, provide affordable medical treatement and to revive Socso (Social Security Organisation), which they were entitled to in the 1990s.

This is on the grounds that the migrant labour force contributed RM2 billion in levy and the six million migrant workers - two million documented and four million undocumented - contributed to the national economy.

"I think we have to recognise that quite a big portion of public funds come from migrant labour. I think there is a problem with perspective of how migrant workers are viewed negatively.

"There is no recognition they are part of the workforce and without them a number of our sectors will collapse," PSM central committee member R Mohana Rani told a press conference in Petaling Jaya.

"They have to be portrayed correctly by the government and media," she added.

Ensuring fairness

Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS) advisor Irene Xavier said it is unfair when the government collected RM2 billion in levy, and these workers are not accorded the same rights as their local counterparts.

"That is not fair, they are not here for free of charge," she added.

Tenaganita programme officer Fajar Santoadi said a special law for domestic workers is needed as the current Employment Act might not apply to domestic workers.

"Domestic workers work within private compounds where inspection cannot be done by the authorities," she added.

The coalition also urged the authorities to stop criminalising undocumented workers, including whipping them for immigration offences and placing them in detention centres.

It was suggested that undocumented workers be placed in shelters provided by embassies and NGOs before their deportion.

The coalition also revealed that all stakeholders agreed in consensus to the government-to-goverment recruitment mechanism with the abolishment of middlemen.

The 14 recommendations are:

1. Adopt only G-to-G mechanism for all recruitment and management of migrant workers without any element of profiting.

2. The Human Resources Ministry should be the sole ministry to deal with these issues.

3. Enforce Immigration Act, Passport Act, Employment Act and Trade Union Act consistently, so workers will not be made undocumented by agents and employers.

4. Conduct labour legalisation programmes in a transparent and non-profit manner as well as design it in a way that will attract them to register.

5. Allow migrant workers to continue to work with the employers when they are involved in disputes with the latter.

6. Do not criminalise undocumented migrant workers, find alternatives to caning and putting them in detention centres.

7. Strict enforcement is needed to ensure their working time, overtime and minimum wage are according to the Employment Act.

8. Adequate inspection must be carried out to ensure all monthly deductions are recorded in the pay slip.

9. Formulate a special law for domestic workers to regulate scope of work, responsibility of domestic workers and their employers as well as working hours.

10. Hospitals should treat migrant workers regardless of their status instead of reporting them to the immigration department and police.

11. Migrant workers should pay minimum charges at public hospitals.

12. Houses, which comply with international standards, should be provided for migrant workers.

13. Introduce Socso scheme for migrant workers.

14. Impose a scheme, similar to EPF, which is agreed to by the sending countries and Malaysia.