Sarawak allows recruitment of foreign workers from Jan 1 - Uggah
BERNAMA
23/12/2020
KUCHING, Dec 23 -- Sarawak will once again allow the recruitment of foreign workers from Jan 1, State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said.
The decision was made in the hope of reducing the number of illegal foreign workers sneaking into the state via rat routes, besides also meeting the state’s economic needs, he said.
“By allowing foreign workers to be hired again, we hope cases of workers being smuggled into Sarawak via rat trails can be reduced,” he told reporters at the committee’s daily COVID-19 media conference here today.
Uggah said employers who want to bring in foreign workers are required to make arrangements at the state border entry points for them to be transported to quarantine centres, adding that all costs, including the 14-day quarantine fees and COVID-19 screening, will be borne by the employers themselves.
“The foreign workers must also have a valid working permit to enter the state. There is no need for them to do the COVID-19 test at their country of origin because when they arrive at the entry point, the employer has the responsibility to transport them from that point to the quarantine centre,” he said.
Uggah, who is also Sarawak deputy chief minister, said there was no limit to the number of foreign workers allowed to work in the state as some industrial sectors in Sarawak were still short of workers following the recruitment freeze before this.
“With Covid-19 cases in the state flattening, we have to balance between economic requirements and public health,” he said.
However, he said the committee would continue to monitor the impact of the decision on public health and would take appropriate measures when required.
“We are observing the situation. If there is an indication that this programme (permission for foreign workers to enter Sarawak) leads to the increase in (COVID-19) positive cases, then we will take necessary action,” he said.
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