‘Penalise those with illegals’

Employer groups have urged the Government to enforce the law to “the maximum extent” in dealing with employers who failed to register their illegal workers during its 6P legalisation programme earlier this year.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said these employers had been given an amnesty period to register their workers.

“The window was already open for them. Now they have to face the consequences if they are caught,” he said yesterday, adding that they should not even be employing illegal workers to begin with.

He said some employers might have been tempted to do so as it was cheaper and they could avoid paying the levy and medical costs.

“The Government must be tough on these people as there are currently far too many foreign workers, especially illegal ones, in Malaysia,” he said.

Malaysia National Association of Employment Agencies president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan said the Home Ministry had informed them that it would “go seriously” after errant employers.

“We must support the Government's enforcement efforts. It needs to get statistics and know where these people are,” he said, adding that a fair amount of time had been given for employers to register their workers.

The Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has directed enforcement authorities to act against errant employers with immediate effect.

He said immediate enforcement was necessary as bosses had been given ample time to register their illegal workers under the programme, including a deadline extension.