745 investigation papers opened against employers for flouting Act 446

He said of this number, some had been fined and issued compounds totalling over RM3.4 million following inspections on 106,824 units of workers' accommodation and 19,149 employers nationwide by the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM).

"From the 745 investigation papers, 125 cases have been taken to the Sessions Court, with the prosecution of 55 cases resulting in fines amounting to RM361,000.

"In addition, 291 cases were compounded involving compound offers totalling more than RM3 million against employers who committed offences under Act 446," he said after heading an operation on Act 446 and Movement Control Order (MCO) standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance at a factory here today.

Meanwhile, Awang said 2,657 complaints linked to labour issues had been received through the 'Working For Workers' application since it was launched on May 3.

He said the complaints included workers' dissatisfaction over salary cuts, termination of work without notice and being forced to work during the MCO.

"Workers can lodge complaints, and we give our assurance that their identities would be kept confidential. The complaints received will be acted upon quickly and monitored by the highest management level in the ministry," he said.

On the operation at the factory, Awang said the employer was found to have committed offences under Act 446, namely failing to get accommodation certification from JTKSM and approval from the local authority.

He said the employer also failed to ensure that workers scanned the My Sejahtera QR code, which is an offence liable to a RM10,000 compound under Act 342.

"The ministry would like to remind all employers, centralised accommodation providers and industry players in general to always comply with the acts in place to avoid legal action," he added.