Amendment to Employment Act 1955 will be tabled in Parliament in January

The amendment to the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), which among others, is aimed at making it compulsory for employers to provide accommodation facilities for foreign workers, is expected to be tabled in Parliament next January.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said a detailed working paper on the issue of foreign workers' accommodation had already been made by the ministry and presented to a committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"It has been agreed to and approved by the committee. Although, it has been approved, it can only be enforced after being approved by Parliament. We hope that the act, which we are working on, will be tabled and approved in January 2018.

"Upon approval, it is mandatory for employers to provide accommodation to foreign workers, and I believe the employers will make a beeline to seek accommodations which are managed by a company approved by the Home Ministry and the Ministry of Human Resources," he told reporters here Thursday after visiting a Foreign Workers' Centralised Accommodation service facility in Mantin, near here, which is managed by MYR Relocation Management Sdn Bhd.

Also present were the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Ab Rahman and MYR chief executive officer M. Kamalan.

Elaborating further, he said in the act, there is indeed a clause on the need for employers to provide accommodation for foreign workers, but it is not coordinated and is not detailed.

-- BERNAMA