733 Bangladeshi workers cheated in Malaysia's Johor Bahru will be paid more than Tk. two and a half crore for their unpaid wages.
Last February, 733 Bangladeshi workers were found in Johor Bahru. They were being made to work without pay for almost 4 months and were not given the promised work. Earlier, on February 5, the Johor Labor Department had set a deadline of 45 days to pay the wages of these workers. But at that time the authorities did not pay the fixed amount.
The Labor Department said the total amount of unpaid wages was 10 lakh 35 thousand 557 baht which is more than Tk. two and a half crore in Bangladesh currency.
Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources said in a statement on Friday (May 17) that under Section 69(4) of the Employment Act 1955, the Johor Labor Department will now bring the employer to the Sessions Court to enforce the order issued by the Labor Court.
If the owner is found guilty, the company will be fined up to 50,000 ringgit or Tk. 25 lakh for each offense and must settle wages owed to the workers.
The ministry said that out of the total 10 investigations against the company, 4 cases have been allowed. The remaining 6 have been ordered for further investigation.
The company also revoked the quota for hiring foreign workers and blacklisted the employer from hiring new foreign workers.
The ministry also said that a total of 692 affected Bangladeshi workers have already been assigned to new workplaces through a special 'Employer Transition Process' (PTM).