<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Questions about new foreign worker rules
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) tweaking of the obligations placed on employers of foreign workers ('New rules protect both maids and employers', Sept 26).
In cases where a maid absconds, an employer will lose half of his $5,000 security bond instead of the full amount, as long as he has made reasonable efforts to locate the maid.
I am puzzled by this. If an employer has made reasonable efforts to find the maid, incurring cost and time, why is he still being penalised?
The MOM has also initiated a new security bond condition to address the issue of errant employers who owe salaries to their maids. This is a move in the right direction, but the MOM should be given a specific timeframe to resolve these pay matters, and maid agencies should be compensated for providing temporary lodgings and food for their maids while the issues are being resolved.
The MOM has indicated specifically that the new security bond conditions will apply to non- Malaysian foreign workers who have been issued with work permits on or after Jan 1 next year, or who are renewing their work permits on or after the same date.
As the current security bond conditions are going to be phased out, the new conditions should apply to all employers of foreign workers, regardless of the timeframe.
Alice Cheah (Ms)
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) tweaking of the obligations placed on employers of foreign workers ('New rules protect both maids and employers', Sept 26).
In cases where a maid absconds, an employer will lose half of his $5,000 security bond instead of the full amount, as long as he has made reasonable efforts to locate the maid.
I am puzzled by this. If an employer has made reasonable efforts to find the maid, incurring cost and time, why is he still being penalised?
The MOM has also initiated a new security bond condition to address the issue of errant employers who owe salaries to their maids. This is a move in the right direction, but the MOM should be given a specific timeframe to resolve these pay matters, and maid agencies should be compensated for providing temporary lodgings and food for their maids while the issues are being resolved.
The MOM has indicated specifically that the new security bond conditions will apply to non- Malaysian foreign workers who have been issued with work permits on or after Jan 1 next year, or who are renewing their work permits on or after the same date.
As the current security bond conditions are going to be phased out, the new conditions should apply to all employers of foreign workers, regardless of the timeframe.
Alice Cheah (Ms)
