Published on: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 |
Kota Kinabalu: An average of 78 complaints from Sabahans working in Singapore are forwarded to the Labour Department here every month by the Malaysian Labour Attach} in Singapore.
Its Director, Siti Aishah Mohd Asri, said the cases concern Sabahans who claim to have been mistreated and misled by recruitment agencies to work in Singapore.
"These types of cases are still a major problem for us. Nonetheless, it also shows the level of awareness among Sabahans working in Singapore has increased as they know where to lodge complaints.
"All reports and information by Sabahan workers in Singapore would be channelled to us (department) so that further action can be taken against recruitment agencies which are mostly stationed here," she said.
According to her, there are five common cases channelled to the department:
- Complainants not receiving salary as high deduction was made on wages to pay recruitment agencies or their agents for their travel documents and work permits;
- Complainants were given jobs in Singapore that were different from the employment promised or offered to them when approached in Sabah;
- The salary is low and not the same as shown in job advertisements;
- The complainants were forced to work more than eight hours;
- The recruitment agents in Singapore kept the complainants' passports and personal documents.
Siti Aishah said most of the complainants worked as cleaners in offices, buildings and schools and only few worked in hotels.
Currently, there are two agents in Sabah facing legal action and at least three recruitment agencies here are being monitored and investigated following complaints on their activities.
The runners are difficult to trace as they use fictitious names, are paid commission per person and have links with the recruitment agencies here and in Singapore as well, Siti Aishah said.
On measures to create and enhance public awareness, she said the department has conducted 10 job expos at district level in Sabah.
"We also conducted meeting sessions with community leaders in each of the districts and we inform them to be wary when approached by agents of recruitment agencies who may promise goods jobs with attractive income to the villagers.
"We asked the community leaders like the headmen and JKKK chairmen to educate their residents to check with the department on whether the recruitment agencies are registered with the Sabah Labour Department," Siti Aishah said.
She reiterated there is only one recruitment agency in Sabah that is registered with the Ministry to recruit Sabahans to work in any country.
She added they also distributed posters and pamphlets to the community leaders which can be placed at mosques, surau and community halls, as a reminder on dubious agents of recruitment agencies looking for potential job seekers to work overseas.
Buntings at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Terminal 2 in Tanjung Aru remind the public to be wary when approached by recruitment agents.
Last month, it was reported that the Human Resources Ministry was going all out to track down unregistered recruitment agencies or agents that are operating illegally in Sabah so as to prevent youths from being cheated.
Its Minister Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam said the Labour Department here has been directed to be actively monitor and investigate existing recruitment agencies in the State including their advertisements to find out whether they are registered with the Ministry and have licence to operate as agency.
He said all types of advertisements, including those pasting such ads on the wall of commercial shops, Internet and newspapers, would be checked.
