Action against employers who prevent foreign workers from going home

2010/04/11

KUALA LUMPUR: The government would take action against employers who retain their foreign workers even when their visas have expired, Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said.

He said upon expiry of their visas, the employers should apply to extend them, or send their foreign workers back to their country.

"The Manpower Department will do the needful," he said in a statement here.

Dr Subramaniam was commenting on news reports today which quoted the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) as claiming that more than 150,000 foreign workers employed in restaurants and coffeeshops were unable to return home when their visas expired because their employers were holding on to their passports.

MTUC vice-president A. Balasubramaniam said it was not the intention of the workers to overstay but they were being exploited by their employers who held on to their passports and refused to renew their expired visas.

Dr Subramaniam said the number of foreign workers involved as claimed by MTUC was huge, and urged MTUC to furnish the Manpower Department with details. - BERNAMA