Kuala Lumpur: The government is introducing a new “secret” phone app for mistreated workers to lodge their complaints against employers without fear.
With the introduction of this multi-lingual app from Jan 1, the human resources ministry will be able to keep track of unscrupulous employers violating the rights of foreign workers, especially those breaching Covid-19 procedures.
Human Resources Minister M Saravanan said this app was also likely to stop the “snitching” culture, citing a recent example of leaked information that led to an errant employer quickly moving its employees away before a raid to check on a complaint that it had violated Covid-19 SOPs.
Elaborating, he said this involved a combined raid by the Labour Department and Klang Health Department on a glove factory in Port Klang.
He said no action could be taken in this case as the workers had been rushed to another place before the enforcement team reached the factory.
Saravanan said to ensure all foreign workers had access to this app, it will be made available in languages spoken by Nepalis, Bangladeshis and others from different countries.
“From January, we are going to be more aggressive.
“Currently, foreign workers have no direct link to the government and they cannot inform us if they are being mistreated,” he said.
With this initiative, he said foreign workers will have direct access to the government with their identities protected.
“This is to make it easier and safer for workers to have a two-way communication with the government,” he added.
The Tapah MP was speaking to reporters after presenting cheques to 301 students, worth RM5.8 million from the MIC-owned Maju Institute of Educational Development fund.
He said it was not the intention of the government to target employers but it wanted them to be responsible while educating workers on their rights so that Malaysia could improve its standing on the International Labour Organisation’s index on forced labour.
