Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email From time to time we read about estate workers being treated like bonded workers or forced labourers. Sometimes terms like slaves are used. I remember about a case in Melaka few years back. And recently, the case in Segamat of all place (constituent of the Human Resources Minister!).
The term bonded worker means employers or contractors who threaten and cheat their employees into working for practically pittance. The family members are also forced to work, usually to settle some “debt”. Lack of education and being illiterate is one of the reasons why this problem still occurs.
Obviously, plantation owner who close two eyes are also part of the problem. And one have to ask, why the authorities don’t know about this problem. Perhaps more Tamil speaking officers should be attached to enforcement and inspection teams who go to the grounds.
Now the ministry is launching a massive crackdown on such employers:
Its Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry’s Manpower Department had also lodged police reports against those who treated their workers as bonded labourers.
“If there is still no action taken by the respective police stations where the estates are located, we will go right up to Bukit Aman (police headquarters),” he said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Subramaniam said the ministry was aware of the matter and had identified the contractors involved. “We will get the police to take action against them,” he said.
Dr Subramaniam said the ministry would ensure that the issue of bonded labourers would be resolved.
He also instructed all estate owners and management to immediately report to the police and the ministry if they come across contractors who ill-treated their workers. “This is a very serious matter and I want all parties to take note and report the matter immediately to the authorities. I will personally look into the cases,” he said.
The ill-treatment of estate workers came to light when a group of workers and their families from an estate in Segamat, Johor reported to the ministry and the police that their contractor had been abusing them, including forcing members of their family members to work.
Following the revelation, Dr Subramaniam visited the estate and ordered officials from the ministry to lodge a police report and instructed the Manpower Department to launch a crackdown on all estates to ensure that the workers were well taken care off. He also ordered all contractors to register with the Manpower Department beginning next month.
