KUALA LUMPUR: Employers must bear the cost of mandatory Covid-19 screening for their employees, said the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).
Its secretary-general, J. Solomon, said Social Security Organisation (Socso) funds, which are meant to help injured or sick workers and their families in time of need, should not be used to pay for Covid-19 screening of employees.
MTUC, he said, agrees on the need for all workers of firms allowed to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO) to undergo mandatory screening.
However, he said, the MTUC is aghast over the International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s statement that Socso will pick up the tab for the compulsory screening, which would cost millions of ringgit and further deplete Socso’s dwindling coffers.
“Azmin and the government seem to have lost sight that Socso is a workers’ compensation fund which is run with monthly contributions from both workers and employers. The migrant workers are also covered with employers contributing for them.
“By using Socso funds for mandatory Covid-19 screening of workers, the government is blatantly treating Socso as its cash cow to fund pro-employer policies.
“If employers are keen to resume operations which will mainly benefit the company, it is only logical that they pay for the screening,” he said in a statement today.
Solomon also called on Azmin to justify his reason to exempt employers from paying for Covid-19 screenings for their own workers.
“This is blatantly unfair and lopsided. As things stand, the ones who will benefit most at the expense of workers will be Socso-appointed private clinics and employers themselves. Funds meant for workers’ social protection and retirement savings should not be used to gain political mileage.”
Solomon said Socso funds are depleting and the organisation is also reeling from some bad investments amounting to billions of ringgit linked to the purchase of prime land and IT systems which have not yielded any return for several years.
MTUC, he said, raised this issue during the Socso Board meetings, calling for a probe on the deals which smack of bailing out prominent government-linked individuals.
“The workers’ money is being spent without any consideration that this fund is meant for workers' social protection.
“We vehemently oppose this decision which is obviously made in the interest of employers and not the poor workers who make the mandatory contribution for this fund from their blood, sweat and tears.
“The government has been insensitive to the needs and the future of workers by dipping into the workmen’s compensation fund meant specifically for workers who are injured or sick as well as the family members of those who lost their lives.”
He added that the use of sanitisers, gloves and face masks is equally important, but not as important as ensuring safe distancing is practised at workplaces, including cafeterias and factory buses.
“We have received complaints from workers that safe distancing is not enforced in buses that ferry them to and from work and company cafeterias. One such complaint came from a factory that has 1,000 workers in each shift.
“There is a complaint of a large factory having a few positive Covid-19 cases in their workforce but the management has refused to acknowledge it or disinfect the affected departments for fear of shutting down the machines.
“We urge the government to look into giving factories and other workplaces access to hire the services of trained RELA and Police Voluntary Reserve personnel to strengthen the enforcement of the Health Ministry’s regulations in workplaces,” he added.