Ramchandra Giri 

SCORES of Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia have been denied salaries and other facilities agreed with the companies. Hundreds of Nepalis working in Malaysian cities, mainly Penang, Muar and Pandan Indah are not provided with facilities and salaries as per the agreements reached with the respective companies. Moreover, their salaries are deducted under various headings, such as levy, advance payment and medical facility.

According to the existing Malaysian law, companies are not entitled to deduct workers’ salaries under levy. Nepalis working at a company in Penang have not been paid agreed salaries or offered day-off for the past one year. A source said that the company-where 20 Nepalis work-takes 300 ringgit (the Malaysian currency) per month from the salaries of the workers as levy. One of the victims, Kul Bahadur Lama, of Kavre said the company deducted 300 ringgit per month from his salary as levy until six months of his arrival and 150 ringgit per month then after. He had paid Rs 850,000 to the Kathmandu-based Megabite Manpower Company to go to Malaysia. Likewise, a Muar-based sofa company has not paid Nepali workers the agreed salaries and facilities for the past one year. Karna Lama said they are given only 18 ringgit against the agreed wage of 21 ringgit per day. He said they are forced to work against the agreement that requires them to work 26 days a month. Lama said the company did not pay heed to their concerns. The company, said Lama, instead asked them to consult the concerned manpower company saying that it has abided by the agreement reached with manpower agency. The victims said their repeated calls to the concerned manpower company to address their problems have gone unheard. The company has 250 Nepali workers. Nineteen Nepali workers at a Pandan Indah company are also facing similar problems. According to the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia, the number of Nepali workers making such complaints is increasing by the day. Labour attaché Surya Prasad Bhandari said many such cases are filed at the embassy and that the mission has accorded top priority to such issues. “The number of Nepali workers visiting the embassy with such complaints is on the rise,” he said.

Hundreds of Nepalis working in Malaysian cities, mainly Penang, Muar and Pandan Indah, are not given pays and perks as agreed by respective companies.

Published on: 22 April 2011 | The Kathmandu post