9 July, 2007
PUTRAJAYA: Employers cannot deduct more than 50% of their foreign maid’s monthly salary to recover advances paid to agents.
“We know that employers are asked to pay in advance for their maid’s passage here but at the same time, they cannot deduct 100% of their maid’s salary each month to make up for advance payment to the agents,” said Labour Department director-general Datuk Ismail Abdul Rahim.
“They are allowed to deduct only 50% of the pay each month, but this too must be after notification to the department,” he said, adding that employers could personally or through their respective maid agencies send a letter to the Labour Department informing it of the amount paid as advance to their agents, with proof.
He said not paying the maids their salaries was an offence and that the Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies (Papa) should educate its members on this instead of telling employers to not pay the salaries for five to six months.
Deductions made without the approval of the department could lead to the employer being fined up to RM10,000 as provided for under Section 99A of the Employment Act 1955, he said.
Ismail said many employers or maid agencies were ignorant of this ruling.
Papa president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan said the association would discuss the matter with its members after its recruiting exercise was completed.
He said after the Government’s new ruling last month requiring all maid agencies to be Papa members, it had notified the 345 non-member agencies to enrol as members.
