Published: Saturday December 29, 2012 MYT 7:58:00 PM
33 foreign workers stage demo, claim employer cheated them of RM313,500
PORT KLANG: Thirty-three foreign workers at a logistic company here are claiming that they have been cheated by their employer and as a result, are now considered illegal workers as they do not have a work permit.
One of them, Pardeep Singh, 26, said he and his colleagues had paid between RM4,200 and RM6,500 each in levy payment, made through salary deduction to their employer for two years, for the work permit.
"Unfortunately, until today, there is still no work permit and when we asked, the employer said our applications were being processed.
"The employer also promised to refund the levy payment that was paid last Oct 15, but so far no payment has been made.
"The only thing that is given to us is the access pass for us to enter and leave our work place," he told reporters here Saturday.
The workers, from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, staged a demonstration in front of the Manpower Department office here Saturday to get the authorities to intervene.
Pardeep, who is from Punjab in India, said the workers want the employer to refund the levy payment, as well as their salaries totalling RM313,500, which had not been paid to them for two months.
He also claimed that some of them wanted to return home but were not able to do so as their passports were kept by their employer.
"The employer also does not provide us accommodation, forcing some of us to stay at the gurdwara temple," he added.
He claimed that they had lodged a police report on the matter on Dec 24. - Bernama
