Human Resources Minister Richard Riot Jaem today expressed his gratitude to some 100 workers led by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) who had gathered outside Parliament to urge the prompt implementation of the Employees' Insurance Scheme (EIS).

"I want to thank those who are outside Parliament who had gathered as early as 10am to show their support for the EIS," he said.

The minister said this after a meeting he had with 20 representatives from the group who were gathering outside the Parliament building.

Riot explained that he was just returning from launching an award-giving ceremony and decided to come to Parliament due to today's protest.

"Despite the still ongoing event, because I got to know about the cards being submitted, I instructed my secretary-general to take over the handling of the programme."

Earlier, around 100 people representing workers from various parts of the country gathered outside Parliament to demand the establishment of a retrenchment fund.

A PSM central committee member said Putrajaya had previously promised to table the relevant bill during the ongoing Dewan Rakyat sitting, but it appeared that this has been postponed.

"We heard that it will be implemented in 2018 but the economy is bad, it cannot be postponed any longer.

"If working papers for the scheme are completed, what's stopping the bill from being tabled in this parliamentary session?" he queried.

Also present at the protest were Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Kuala Terengganu MP Raja Kamarul Bahrin, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen, Batu MP Tian Chua and Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid, who shook hands with the protesters lined up outside Parliament.

Twenty representatives from the group later handed over cards bearing the signatures of 20,000 workers supporting the implementation of the scheme to Riot.

Hopes opposition will back EIS bill

Meanwhile, stressing that the government had decided on implementing the scheme, Riot believes that the decision was final.

"With this stance, I believe that the government will not be influenced by any quarters including the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF)."

Reiterating that the bill on the scheme will be tabled in the next parliamentary sitting, Riot also expressed hope that all lawmakers, from both the government and the opposition would support the initiative.

"It's very important for us to help those who have been laid off from work, whether their companies had gone bankrupt or otherwise."

With the scheme, Riot is of the opinion that the wellbeing of employees will be taken care of for at least six months.

"This is a gift for the rakyat. After the bill is passed, it will be implemented in January 2018," he said, to applause from the representatives.

The minister also confirmed that benefits from the scheme will be received a year later, in January 2019.

The Human Resources Ministry has consistently been urged to expedite the implementation of the EIS, which was mooted back in 2009.

PSM had argued that the scheme was required immediately because it will help retrenched workers while they were in between jobs.

The party has for long sought the implementation of a Workers' Retrenchment Fund, similar to the EIS, and hoped that the party's ideas could be incorporated into the EIS.