KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) said five out of the nine foreign workers involved in the Batu Maung construction site collapse have no records in the organisation's system.
Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said this clearly violated Section 6 of the Employees' Social Security Act of 1969 (Act 4), and Perkeso will take legal action against their employers.
"The failure to register and contribute for foreign workers can be charged under Section 94, Act 4, which carries a penalty of RM10,000 or two years imprisonment, or both if convicted.
"The ministry will not compromise with any employers who neglect to register and contribute for foreign workers, thereby denying their social protection rights," he said in a statement today.
He revealed that four foreign workers, two of whom died and two suffered severe injuries in the tragic incident, had registration records with Perkeso but no contributions since their employment between 2020 and July 2023.
Another deceased foreign worker had no registration and contributions with Perkeso.
All foreign workers, including those in the construction sector, are required to register and contribute to Perkeso, effective Jan 1, 2020.
"As of now, the ministry, through Perkeso, is actively conducting reviews with the Fire and Rescue Department, the Office of the High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Malaysia and relevant agencies regarding four other foreign workers involved in the incident," Sivakumar said.
As of Oct 31, Sivakumar stated that over 1.88 million foreign workers were covered under the Occupational Disaster Protection Scheme according to Act 4, with 4,566 incidents involving foreign workers reported to Perkeso.
"However, the coverage ratio for contributions for foreign workers compared to the entry of foreign labour into Malaysia indicates that there are still a few employers who are non-compliant with the provisions of Act 4," he added.
Three people died while two others were seriously injured when a building under construction near the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) in Batu Maung near here collapsed on Tuesday night.
Deputy state police chief Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad had said two of the three died at the scene while the other died at the hospital. The two injured were being treated at the Penang Hospital.
All of them are Bangladeshi nationals.