Dilan in Malaysia to promote Lankan workers

Minister of Foreign Employment Dilan Perera is currently in Malaysia on an Employment Promotion tour accompanied by the officers of the Ministry, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency.

On Tuesday the delegation met with Y. B. Dato’ Maznah Binti Mazlan, the Minister of the Human Resources Ministry of Malaysia to discuss various matters related to Sri Lankan migrant workers in Malaysia.

Minister Perera has started new programmes to promote Sri Lankan skilled and semi-skilled workers in the International arena while the visit is part of the ‘job specific, company specific and country specific skill development programme’.

The delegation is expected to meet with several state officials, employment agents, recruitment agents, out-source companies as well as current and prospective employers to enter into partnership agreements with the intension of providing safe employment for Sri Lankans.

The Malaysian government had agreed to introduce a minimum wage for Sri Lankan workers from 2012 and to explore the possibility of eliminating the Out-Source Companies from the system by signing a government to government agreement.

Currently there are about 26 registered agents who are sending Sri Lankans to Malaysia for work and some of them face difficulties as out-source companies in Malaysia do not provide salaries and facilities agreed by the local agents once the employees are in Malaysia.

While the Ministry and the Bureau is taking action against local recruitment agents who are involved in such situations, the Ministry urges Sri Lankans not to go to Malaysia for work in visit visas as such Sri Lankans become victims of various under world gangs and racketeers.

Also migrant workers who are leaving the country must meet the officials of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment with their recruitment agents prior to leaving Sri Lanka to discuss their employment contract and sign their contracts at the Bureau.

Under no circumstances should workers sign any employment contracts or agreements without the presence of the Bureau officials as agents tend to cheat workers by signing 2nd and 3rd agreements introducing lower salaries and conditions that are different to what is approved by the Sri Lankan government.