Tuesday 18 February 2014

Govt to target employment agencies

A senior labour ministry official says the government will prosecute labour agencies that do not properly assist workers they place in jobs abroad.

Deputy Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security U Htin Aung told MPs in the Amyotha Hluttaw, or upper house, on February 11 that the ministry will take “effective action” against dodgy overseas employment agencies.

Under the current rules, agencies have to conduct pre-training courses so that migrant workers understand the languages, customs and culture of the country they are travelling to, as well as the labour rights framework. The ministry then issues identification cards to those who complete their training.

“We only grant permission after we receive commitments from both employers and agencies. We will take effective action against irresponsible employment agencies,” U Htin Aung said.

He was speaking in response to a question from MP U Myint Kyi about what the ministry is doing to assist migrant workers.

U Htin Aung said the ministry has posted labour affairs officers at embassies in Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea and would soon send officials to both Kuwait and Singapore.

“By posting labour diplomats … the ministry has helped to protect Myanmar migrant workers under the labour laws in the respective countries. It also guides them so they can get access to programs such as health insurance,” he said.

source: The Myanmar Times

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...