Employers must respect workers' rights
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Employers in the private sector must respect the rights of local and foreign workers to help create a conducive climate for foreign investment, said industry analysts.

They said disputes such as late payments of salaries should be settled amicably, so that foreign investors would not be put off.

"Late payments of salaries and cancelling labour contracts without approval of the relevant agency are still being reported here.

"This also includes foreign domestic workers who choose to run away to their embassies after complaining of non-payment of salaries up to nine months," they said.

They added that disputes with workers concerning late payment of salaries can be settled peacefully if the employers respect the rights of workers and pay them in return for their services within a specific time limit, normally a month.

"There should be no more dishonesty among us if we want our country to progress," they said.

"Therefore, employers and workers have to continue building good communication, mutual trust and transparency between themselves.

"In the event of runaway maids, both employers and workers are at a loss. Employers lose time, integrity and respect while workers waste time being unproductive since they have families to support back home.

"In the end concerned employers still need to pay their workers and in some cases faced embarrassment after the cases are being heard in courts," they added.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin