Benarkan semua agensi berlesen rekrut pekerja, kata 4 persatuan asing

On August 22, Malaysia implemented a framework for foreign worker recruitment called FWCMS, where employers can only hire foreign workers through registered agencies on its platform. (Picture: Bernama) Four Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Myanmar, and Pakistani recruitment agencies have urged Kuala Lumpur to permit all registered agencies to recruit foreign workers to Malaysia.

In a joint statement, the agencies said access to Malaysia's System for Managing Foreign Worker Personnel (FWCMS) should be fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory, along with having proper oversight. Any rules that grant exclusive access or preferential treatment to a small group of private entities or agencies with restrictions or exclusions, will raise serious concerns about fair competition, efficiency, fairness of opportunities, and the rights and welfare of migrant workers, they said.

Previously, employers in Malaysia were free to hire Nepalese workers through any registered agency in the country, but now they can only recruit via the 25 agencies listed in FWCMS. Former Klang parliamentary member Charles Santiago questioned the move, calling on the Human Resources Ministry to reveal the criteria used to select the 25 Nepalese agencies and the eligibility requirements they must meet.