Migrant Workers: Malaysia's 'Invisible' Workforce
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Published on Tuesday, 10 February 2015 02:49
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Written by Teh Wei Soon
“MIGRATION is an expression of the human
aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the
social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family,” - Ban
Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
According to UN statistics from 2014,
there are around 232 million international immigrants in the world, a
number which is increasing every year.
Call them migrant worker, guest worker,
foreign labour or for the professional working class, the term
‘expatriate’ is still used, the term “migrant worker” has various
connotations in different parts of the world. According to the United
Nations, the definition is broad and it may include any persons working
outside of their country of birth.
In Malaysia, migrant workers come from
more than 12 countries in Asia with the majority coming from Indonesia,
according to Fair Labour Association, an international non-profit
collaboration promoting international labour laws. Bangladesh, Nepal,
India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines also
supply a large number of the migrant workers population in Malaysia.
Delegates attending the National Council
of Professors' (MPN) Conference on 'National Dilemma: Issues and
Challenges of Foreign Workers in Malaysia' in Kuala Lumpur on December
16, 2014 had stated that there are about 2.9 million legal foreign
workers in Malaysia (out of an estimated 6 million but the issue of
illegal migrant workers is a separate story), citing figures provided to
them by the police.
National labour statistics show that
nearly 40% of migrant workers had no formal education, as compared to
the 10% with tertiary experience. It is also worth noting that the share
of migrants working in white-collar occupations has plummeted
dramatically from a peak level of 10% in 2002 to 5.8% in 2008 due to
rising domestic education and expertise levels.
Last week, Malaysian Digest
reached out to some of these workers to find out what they think as soon
as they set foot here and how it is like to work in Malaysia.
Let’s Hear From Malaysia’s Migrant Workforce
Following are a selection of views received throughout the interviews.
“I have been living here for three
weeks now. I love Malaysia. The people here are friendly, kind and warm.
Although the first few days here were almost a culture shock since I
barely speak English and Malay, but that was totally a new and exciting
learning experience …The cultural diversity and the foods here are just
awesome!” – Dominique Boudet, 55, an osteopathic physician from Bordeaux, France
“I love working in Malaysia since it
is a peaceful country. It was love at first sight for me the moment I
landed here one year ago. I like the people here so much since they are
helpful and humble. It has been a great experience living and working
here so far. I always tell my students here how lovely it is to teach
them. It really impressed me to see my students of different races,
creed and religions mix well and has no problem accept respective
cultures.” – Zhang Bi Qian, 29, a linguistic lecturer from China
“I started working here since 2012. I
had never travelled out of my country before I came here. I love
working and living here because Malaysia is a peaceful country. Although
the people here are sometimes rude and bad-mannered, but I must say
smiles are quick to flourish across the lips of most Malaysians. My boss
and colleagues here are friendly, kind and caring. They treat me well.” – Sunnil Dev, 23, a security guard from Nepal
“My first impression for Malaysia
was not that good because the first place (Shah Alam) I visited upon my
arrival here was surprisingly dirty…It has been 11 years since I first
started to work here. Before I came here, I only know Islam is the
official religion here. After working here more than ten years now, I
must say Malaysia is a peaceful country and it is just like my second
home now.” – Mohammad Faruk Hossain, 34, a plantation worker from Bangladesh
These voices represent only half of the
migrant workforce with the other half falling into the illegal category.
Various non-governmental groups have tried to reach out to this largely
undocumented group as their huge numbers requires some form of
intervention, outreach and support.
Global Voices, an international outfit
which employs citizen media reporting to “give voice to marginalized and
misrepresented communities” presented a video by Engage Media titled
‘Crossroads: Video Stories of Migrants in Malaysia’ on 9 May last year
which gives voice to this invisible workforce.
MPN Deputy Secretary-General Prof Dr
Kamaruddin M. Said had said at the MPN Conference that “Malaysia must
come to terms with the fact that it will continue to rely on foreign
labour to keep its industries running, for the simple reason that there
are not enough Malaysians to fill in the millions of jobs available.
“Of the country’s 30 million citizens,
seven million are still in school and there are an estimated 13 million
new job openings in various sectors ranging from agriculture to
manufacturing,” he added.
Migrant Workers : The Hidden Economic Catalyst
In an interview with Malaysian Digest,
Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk
Shamsuddin Bardan (pic) said there are currently 2.8 to 2.9 million
migrant workers in Malaysia. Foreign labour, especially the blue-collar
workers, contributes quite significantly to the national economy as they
contribute about 10%-11% to national economy.
“Despite
the fact that they actually contribute positively to our country, there
is still uneasiness among some Malaysians on the presence of foreign
workers. In general, the perception of Malaysians towards migrant
workers has been quite negative,” he admitted.
“Many blaming fingers are pointed on
them when migrant workers and its impacts on our society are being
brought up. In fact, in many circumstances, the mere mention of migrant
workers is usually greeted with a smirk and negativity.
“Some even believe that the influx of
foreign workers is the main culprit of the increasing of crime rates in
the country. I must say this is an untrue fact or statement in essence
because the cases of crime involving migrant workers is only less than
10% of the total crime cases nationwide,” he said.
When asked what MEF has done to discard
the negative perception Malaysians have towards migrant workers, he
said, “We are currently collaborating with International Labour
Organization (ILO) for various projects and roadshows with the aim to
promote a positive image of migrant workers and acknowledge their
contribution to Malaysia’s workforce.”
“The number of migrant workers in
Malaysia is relatively high and their contribution to the national
economy should not be overlooked,” he added.
Small Steps, Big Move
The International Labour Organization
(ILO) through the Tripartite Action to Protect Migrants Workers in the
Greater Mekong Sub-region from Labour Exploitation (GMS Triangle) have
been working to promote better understanding between Malaysians and
migrant workers.
When contacted, GMS TRIANGLE national project coordinator, Anni Santhiago (pic) told Malaysian Digest
that migrant workers are actually here to respond to the market needs
especially in the field of plantation, construction and manufacturing,
dismissing the claims that they are wage depressant.
“Foreign workers make up around 50% of
the construction workforce in the country; while they make up nearly 60%
for the workforce in the manufacturing sector. Currently, they [migrant
workers] make up approximately 20% of the labour force in Malaysia.
“MEF worked with ILO and other
stakeholders in creating a public service announcement for a campaign
named ‘Migration Campaign’. This campaign was first launched in 2012
together with Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and local NGOs to
strengthen the role of employers in protecting migrant workers’ rights.
“It is hope that with this kind of
campaign, we can help to discard the negative perception the general
public has towards foreign workers in the country so that they are
respected and be treated equally,” she said.
Elaborating further on the efforts to
create positive perception towards migrant workers, she said: “We are
now working on ILO’s GMS TRIANGLE project. It is a five-year project
aims to strengthen the formulation and implementation of recruitment and
labour protection policies and practices.”
“The project is operational in six
countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
with its aims to strengthen policy and legislation, build capacity of
stakeholders and provide services to migrant workers,” she pointed out.
“I believe with these kinds of campaigns
it would help to project a positive image of migrant workers among the
general public, employers and other stakeholders,” she added.
Dispelling Prejudices And Misconceptions
Although the Government has promised to
cut down the influx of migrant workers, but it is undeniable that
migrant workers are often accused as a wage depressant in Malaysia as
their number has rocketed from 1,470,000 in 2004 to 2,100,000 in 2009.
It is important to note that the migrant
workforce has played a crucial role nationally and across local
communities. The Government should play an intermediary role by bridging
the relevant stakeholders and employers as well as to support for and
advocacy to improve the welfare of the migrant workers to the betterment
of the national economy as a whole.
Over the years, many NGOs have urged the
Government to quit seeing migrant workers as a security threat and to
give green light to the Ministry of Human Resources to liaise between
the relevant agencies. Numerous steps can be taken by the Government to
hold the circumstances under control.
In
the past year, sensational cases of alleged abuse of migrant workers
have periodically made headlines including international media coverage
of alleged mistreatment of refugees and migrants but the reality of
migrant workers are not widely known or reported in the media. Various
negative stereotypes exist that can lead to hostile perceptions in their
host community.
In May 2014, the International Trade
Union Confederation (ITUC) had given Malaysia a dismal report card as
‘among the worst places to work’. Malaysia had earned a 5 ranking, with 1
being countries with highest approval ratings and 5 being the second
lowest in terms of violations of workers’ rights (5+ being the lowest
assigned to countries with military occupation or internal unrest).
As Malaysia employs the highest number
of migrant workers in Southeast Asia, our country has to take the
initiative to lead by example. Clearly, organizations like MEF, MTUC and
GMS TRIANGLE have a daunting challenge ahead of them to tackle
entrenched negative perception and to play a crucial role in getting the
real situation of migrant workers out to the public as well.
--
mD - Malaysian Digest, 10/2/2015, Migrant Workers: Malaysia's 'Invisible' Workforce
Comment:- Sadly, the article paint a picture that migrant
workers in Malaysia all 'happy', and this is far from the truth. The
writer may have not had the opportunity to meet and interview more
migrant workers. It was also most disturbing that in Malaysia, migrant
workers of many employers were denied the right of minimum wages, and
this led to a situation of discrimination - when local workers got at least minimum wages whilst their fellow workers(the migrant workers) did not. There also exist discrimination when it comes to medical fees payable for healthcare at public hospitals and medical facilities.
In any event, the writing of this report must be applauded as very few
will really take the time to write about issues concerning the poor and marginalized - workers, migrant workers, etc.. Good job Mr Teh and Malaysian Digest.
