The independent committee that coordinate the overall policies and management of foreign workers will begin its work on the second week of October, said Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran.

He said the committee would be headed by former Court of Appeal judge Hishamuddin Yunus and former civil servants group (G25) spokesperson Noor Farida Ariffin.

Kulasegaran said the committee would travel around the country from Perlis to Sabah to gain insights on the hiring of foreign workers.

"This independent committee will make recommendations to the government after gaining views on foreign workers so that a holistic decision can be reached," he told reporters after launching the 2018 Charity Fun Fair at the Sekolah Semangat Maju Ipoh today.

Meanwhile, Kulasegaran said the government was discussing with several countries to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the entry of foreign workers to the country.

"Previous agreements with Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, India have already expired except with Sri Lanka. Even though we intend to sign it (MOU), but there are some restrictions that need to be settled first," he said.

Kulasegaran said among the problems that need to be addressed include on salary and insurance of the foreign workers.

On the event, the Ipoh Barat MP said more than 100 pupils from the special school for children with learning disabilities joined the programme.

- Bernama