Indian businesses seek foreign worker extensions

A foreign worker from India works at a barber shop in Putrajaya January 8, 2008. — Reuters pic

PUTRAJAYA, March 26 — The Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) has proposed to the government to allow the extension of the permits of about 90,000 of their existing foreign workers in the country.

Its president, Datuk KK Eswaran, said this was because they were short of workers, which could affect their businesses.

If the government could not meet the request, they wanted to be allowed to recruit new workers as replacements, he said after meeting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday.

“At the moment, after five years, the permit won’t be renewed and what we ask is to allow an extension. We are not asking for additional foreign labour,” he said.

The MAICCI has 14 trade organisations comprising Indian restaurants, Indian Muslim restaurants, scrap metal operators, news vendor, textile and hair dressing salons as members.

Eswaran said they also hired local workers but they did not stay long because they could not bear the heavy work.

He said Najib said that he would seriously look into the matter and take it up to the cabinet. — Bernama