Only 27 out of 2,289 employers in Kedah have certificates of accommodation

PENDANG: The compliance rate of employers in the state with the enforcement of the Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) is still low as only 27 out of 2,289 employers have been given the certification of accommodation so far.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said the ministry took the situation seriously and urged employers to immediately take appropriate action in providing conducive accommodation for employees.

“The enforcement of this rule aims to break the chain of transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace. We will not hesitate to take firm action as announcements and guidelines for applications for the certificate of accommodation have been provided.

“So far in Kedah, seven investigation papers will be prosecuted under Section 24D, Section 24J and Regulation 3 (3) under the Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) against employers who fail to comply with the prescribed conditions," he said at a press conference, here, yesterday.

He said action could also be taken under the Emergency Ordinance (Workers' Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities) 2021 where employers could be fined a maximum of RM200,000 or three years in jail or both.

In the meantime, Awang said the ministry had conducted inspections on 462 employers and 865 accommodations for workers in the state through the COVID-19 Taskforce Op between Feb 1 and March 4.

He said several employers were found to have committed offences under Act 446 such as crowded spaces, dirty environment, no comfortable ventilation, and accommodation facilities not complying with specifications.

Earlier, Awang attended the COVID-19 National Immunisation Programme at the district level in Pendang where he received a vaccine shot along with several frontliners in the district.

-- BERNAMA