Published on: Monday, November 16, 2009 |
Kota Kinabalu: East Malaysia Planters Association (Empa) has urged the State Government to review its foreign workers policy by allowing oil palm plantation companies in Sabah to hire workers from other countries such as China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar or Nepal.
Its President, Osman Walat, said this is important to reduce the local plantation industry's dependence on workers from Indonesia and the Philippines.
"It's time to look for an alternative source of foreign workers to ensure the development of the oil palm industry will continue uninterrupted," he told Daily Express in an exclusive interview.
Osman said although workers from those countries may be untested they are known to be highly disciplined and dedicated, which is very important to the plantation industry to achieve a high production level.
He said hiring of workers from Indonesia and the Philippines could be continued but with a reduction in the number, adding the Indonesian Government has been imposing too many conditions and demands for workers from their country.
Apart from that, plantation companies were also losing a few thousand ringgit every year when some of their Indonesian and Filipino workers absconded soon after payment of their levies, leaving their passports with their employers.
He pointed out that those who absconded either worked for other plantation companies illegally or looked for jobs in nearby towns and indulging in drug deals when they could not find a proper job before returning to their respective countries through the "back door."
Osman said it is an open secret that most towns in the East Coast and Interior are infested with illegal foreigners who had absconded from their employers.
He added that the problem of these absconded workers was not something new as it has been plaguing the plantation companies for years, resulting in hefty losses.
Osman said he was given to understand that some of the small plantation companies in Sabah were forced to hire illegal workers to minimise losses as each time they legalised foreign workers from Indonesia or the Philippines, they ended up being cheated by these workers.
"When the production of oil palm companies is interrupted, their income is affected and the State Government is also losing in terms of tax revenue.
"Planters are at the mercy of these workers because they have no other choice but to continue recruiting workers from these two countries in accordance with the Government's policy," he said. Osman said another problem was the spouses of these workers, adding that although the Immigration Department had made the policy clear, it seemed difficult to enforce.
He pointed out a few advantages if the Government allows workers from China, Sri Lanka and other countries to work in plantations in the State.
According to Osman, these workers would have to think twice as their countries are far away, unlike Indonesia and the Philippines where they could easily return to their countries within an hour with less then RM50.
Furthermore, it would be too expensive to bring their families over, he added.
On suggestions that plantation companies should recruit local workers, Osman said it is easy to suggest but not easy to implement.
Among the problems are that most of the plantation companies located in the East Coast have to uproot local people from places such as Kota Marudu, Pitas or Kudat who are reluctant to leave their villages.
While some may agree to work, they normally won't last due to the working and culture environment in the plantations.
While locals from other districts are also not interested to work because they themselves have own land planted with oil palm or being involved with smallholders.
On another note, Osman urged the Federal Government to reconsider reducing the levy for foreign workers as the existing rate is too high and burdening oil palm operators.
He said Empa had a meeting with Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok to explain the problem faced by the association as well as the high levy issue.
