PUTRAJAYA: The Bill on the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities (Amendment) Act 2019 does not make it compulsory for all employers to provide housing to their employees, according to the Human Resources Ministry.
However, the ministry in a statement here today, said if the employer chooses to provide such benefits, the act sets the minimum standards for the employer to comply.
With regards to the provision of centralised accommodation, the ministry said it was among the accommodation options, other than any type of building for the purpose of human habitation that was available to the employers to accommodate their employees.
“This law does not make it compulsory for the employers to accommodate their employees at any centralised accommodation,“ the ministry said.
The ministry said currently, the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 was only applicable to the plantation and mining sectors.
“This new Bill aims to expand the coverage of the current act to all sectors,“ said the ministry in response to news reports titled ‘Bill for workers tabled’ and ‘Compulsory housing is news to us, say employers’.
According to the reports, employers in industrial sectors are required to provide centralised accommodation for their employees under the bill, that was tabled in Parliament yesterday. — Bernama
