Firms to be compounded if they violate Malaysia's WFH (BDR) orders: HR Minister

In a statement, Minister Saravanan shared that the HR Ministry had received a total of 1,121 complaints on WFH/BDR, between 23 May and 2 June.

Companies that are found violating Malaysia's lockdown SOPs and work-from-home (WFH/BDR) directives will face legal actions by the Ministry of Human Resources (KSM), HR Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan has said.

These companies will be ordered immediate closure for seven days, and compounded for up to RM50,000, it was reported in a Bernama article, shared on the Ministry's Facebook page.

In a statement cited by Bernama, Minister Saravanan said this "power to compounded" was given to enforcement officers from the Peninsular Malaysia Manpower Department (JTKSM) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (JKKP), under the Ministry of Health's Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act (Act 342) [Effective 1 June 2021].

This follows a "significant increase" in the number of complaints received by KSM, on  employers preventing their staff from working from home.

These complaints had been logded on the Ministry's Working for Workers app, launched in May and shared on Minister Saravanan's Facebook page.

According to Bernama, the Minister shared that a total of 1,121 complaints on WFH/BDR have been received between 23 May and 2 June, while 1,767 complaints for other categories on the app have been received from 3 May to 3 June. 

Of the total complaints, 260 involved unpaid wages and late payment of wages, 73 involved dismissal without notice, and 68 involved no overtime payment and severance benefits.

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