398 employers in Johor seek to lay off, cut workers' wages during MCO

State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said the exercises saw 1,443 workers had been laid off, while another 180 had voluntarily quit their employment, 2,864 were temporarily laid off and 11,110 workers accepted pay cuts.

As provided for under Section 63 of the Employment Act 1955, employers are required to notify relevant authorities about new recruitment or retrenchment by filling in provided forms, he said in a statement today.

He also said that during MCO, the Johor Labour Department had established ‘Skuad Khidmat Cepat’ (rapid service squad) to manage complaints with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).

After a complaint was received, the team would contact the employer to advise them in complying with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

“If the employer still fails to adhere to the directive, the special task force (PPK) will summon them to the Labour Department’s office to ensure they comply with the order and if the employer continues to disobey, PPK is required to visit the employer’s premises and may also involve the Royal Malaysia Police to enforce Act 342,” he said.