Employers of foreign workers in Selangor may soon have to contribute either RM9 a month or RM100 a year per worker into a trust which will fund skills training programmes for local youths.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the objective of the move is to decrease the state's reliance on foreign workers by equipping the next generation of locals with relevant skills.
"The move will benefit employers in the long run."
ANOTHER LINK
Khalid said the state will propose the move to the federal government and will seek to establish and manage the trust.
"Youth are our most important resource and we want to ensure that they are both equipped and given the opportunity to contribute to the economy."
Khalid who was speaking to the press after chairing his first executive council meeting yesterday, said the move would also counter unemployment among locals.
There are between 1.5 million and 2 million foreign workers in Selangor.
In an imediate reaction, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) took to task the Selangor government for its plans to collect a monthly fee from migrant workers in the state.
Its executive director Yap Swee Seng called on Khalid not to implement the plan to collect RM10 a month from migrant workers.
He also advised Khalid to consult civil society organisations before making any policy decisions in the future.
Yap said the migrant workers community was one of the most exploited and marginalised groups in society.
"They receive low wages and are often exploited by employers or recruitment agencies. By taxing those who are barely surviving, an extra heavy burden is added on them and their families," he said in a statement.
On Khalid's statement that the money collected would be used to set up a retraining fund for unemployed youths and in a long run reduce the reliance on migrant workers, Yap said it was scandalous for the state government to use the money for such purposes.
"Even if the monthly fee is to be paid by their employers, we are concerned that eventually this fee will be deducted from the workers," he said.
Yap said Parti had espoused the principle of justice but taxing the poor migrant workers to assist unemployed local youths did not measure up to the principle and spirit of justice.
By : Neville Spykerman
