TEXTILE, ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURERS MAY APPEAL FOR MORE FOREIGN WORKERS

JOHOR BAHARU (Malaysia), July 20 (Bernama) -- Textile and electronic
manufacturers in the country may appeal to the government if they have
legitimite need for more foreign workers, International Trade and Industry
Minister Mustapa Mohamed said Monday.

The appeal should be through his ministry so that it could refer their
request to the Home and Human Resources ministries, he said in reply to a
question during the Southern Region Investment And Trade Dialogue And Seminar.

"There can be exeptions in cases where we feel there is legitimate need in
the part of the manufacturer," he said during the event held at Persada Johor
International Convention Centre here.

He said the government had on Friday lifted the ban on the recruitment of
additional foreign workers for the textile and electronic sectors to meet their
need during the global economic slowdown.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign
Workers and Illegal Immigrants in Putrajaya chaired by Deputy Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin.

Mustapa said the government had a long term policy to minimise dependence on
these workers.

On the issue levy on foreign workers, he said, the proposed increment that
should be borne by the employers had been put on hold.

The uncertainty in the supply of foreign workers was one of the major
concerns voiced by some of the 800 perticipants attending the dialogue.

-- BERNAMA