Raduan (second left) presents a certificate of participation to Kampung Bahagia Jaya community leader, Penghulu Mirza Mohamad.
SIBU (Feb 18): The Sarawak Labour Department (JTK) is committed to address the issue of forced labour, child labour and human trafficking, says its director Awang Raduan Awang Omar.
In stating this, he said JTK Sarawak has opened an investigation paper into an allegation of forced labour in Bintulu last year.
“The forced labour case that is currently being heard in court shows that the government takes serious of any claims on labour law violations,” he said in his officiating address at an awareness programme on forced labour, held at Kampung Bahagia Jaya’s community hall in Teku, yesterday.
Awang Raduan also called on the public and employees to report any violations of labour law to the Labour Department, as well as to work alongside the public agency to curb the forced labour issue in this country.
“If you find that your employer is involved in forced labour or human trafficking, do report it immediately to the Sarawak JTK,” he said.
Despite that, he expressed his belief that the government had done its best through its programme initiatives to shape the Malaysian labour market that is in compliance with the labour laws.
“The Malaysian government is one of the member countries of the International Labour Organisation that recently deposited the ratification of Protocol 29 in its effort to deal with and eliminate forced labour in this country.
“On Nov 19, 2021, Malaysia joined Alliance 8.7 as a Pathfinder country under the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations with its objectives to put an end to forced labour, child labour, modern slavery and human trafficking,” he said.
“Malaysia’s participation as a Pathfinder country will prove its commitment and determination to achieve Target 8.7 SDG,” he added.
Touching on the day’s programme, Awang Raduan said that it would serve as a good platform for Sarawak JTK to enlighten the public on the current labour and employment issues, as well as to deliver its services to the people through mobile service counters, talks and dialogue sessions.
“Hopefully the sharing of knowledge in this programme will benefit all parties, especially the employees and prospective employees as it is crucial for them to know their rights,” he stressed.
The programme will be held in several other areas in the state this year in the department’s efforts to provide value-added services to the people.
Also present was Sarawak JTK deputy director Mohd Nizar Zakaria.