Minister moots retraining local workers, upskilling in plantations
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has urged plantation owners to introduce better labour management policies for both their local and migrant workforce.
In a statement, Zuraida said the policies should be enforced as part of long-term measures to address the labour shortage that had resulted in projected RM28 billion industry losses this year, up from RM21 billion last year.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin has urged plantation owners to introduce better labour management policies for both their local and migrant workforce.
In a statement, Zuraida said the policies should be enforced as part of long-term measures to address the labour shortage that had resulted in projected RM28 billion industry losses this year, up from RM21 billion last year.
"As a long-term solution, the ministry encourages plantation owners to provide its local workers with retraining or upskilling opportunities.
"This is aside from practising good labour management to retain their migrant workers.
"A good labour management policy will not only prevent migrant workers from running away, but allow employers to avoid the risk of involvement in forced labour or human trafficking issues, seen as potentially affecting Malaysia's long-term exports," she added.
Referring to new hires from Indonesia, Zuraida said the coordination process between countries should be simplified and gradually shifted entirely online, to minimise human intervention.
"The ministry will not compromise on issues related to forced labour in the country and Malaysia will continue to comply with the guidelines set in the International Labour Organization.
"In fact, the ministry will continue to support the National Action Plan on Forced Labour which was developed in an effort to address and eradicate the issue of forced labour," she added.
Since 2019, the US Customs and Border Protection has issued eight import bans against rubber and palm oil goods produced by Malaysian companies over alleged involvement in forced labour.
Two of them have since been lifted after the companies carried out remediation as required by the agency.
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