The Human Resources Ministry has been urged to expedite the implementation of the Workers' Insurance Scheme (SIP) which was mooted back in 2009.

In a memorandum to the ministry today, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) said the scheme was required immediately because it will help retrenched workers while they are in between jobs.

The party had proposed that the scheme be legislated when the Dewan Rakyat convenes in March, especially since the government had admitted to Parliament that there were a staggering 44,343 workers who were retrenched in 2015, of which a third received no compensation.

By 2016, some 31,000 factory workers were laid off between January and September, according to public statements by the deputy human resources minister, said PSM.

"The dire situation makes it necessary for a safety net be put in place," said PSM in the memorandum.

The party said that it had long sought a Worker's Retrenchment Fund which was similar to the SIP and hoped that the party's ideas could be incoporated.

The memorandum was addressed to Human Resources Minister Richard Riot Jaem and was received by Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) deputy chief executive Mohd Rosdi Mat Yasin outside the ministry's compound.

A spokesperson for the ministry said the ministry will fix a new date to discuss the matter with PSM representatives.

PSM activist M Sivaranjani said the party supported the proposal and wanted to contribute ideas to refine it further.

"We've done the analysis... We wanted to share some of our ideas with the ministry ," she told Malaysiakini when contacted.