The role of migrant labour in Malaysia’s regime of labour control
Abstract
While the requirement for, and presence of, foreign labour has caused considerable conflict for the Malaysian government, the ongoing demonisation of foreign workers has played a vital role in Malaysia’s regime of labour control. The state’s control over the domestic labour force is underpinned by four major features. It is, firstly, repressive, achieving political control over labour via legislation that denies freedoms of speech and assembly. Secondly, it is paternalistic, a feature particularly obvious in the hierarchical, gendered and familial relationships that typify many work places as well as in state-labour relations generally. Thirdly, the regime of labour control concedes the special position of Malays through, for example, the creation of employment and training quotas, in an attempt to contain more politically damaging expressions of Malay nationalism. Finally the regime of labour control is reliant on the segmented nature of the labour force in Malaysia. Nation of citizenship is one basis on which the labour force is divided, with the state contributing to a widely held view that foreign workers, particularly those in lower paid and less skilled work, are not deserving of the same protections or benefits as local workers.
This tactic is used to deflect class interests and to divide the organised labour movement. The MTUC displays an ambivalence with regard to the foreign workforce, at times seeking to ban foreign workers, at other times offering to represent them. Further, the use of foreign labour delivers a workforce at minimal cost to the Malaysian state. The state contributes little to the reproduction of the foreign labour force by way of education, housing or healthcare and does little to protect the these workers even though foreign workers with permits are entitled to the protections offered by the Employment Act. This has contributed to the high rates of economic growth that have given legitimacy to government policies. Recent legislative changes have made it a legal requirement of employers that they dismiss foreign workers before retrenching local employees. This allows the Government to demonstrate that it is ‘caring’ towards local workers, reinforcing the paternalism that characterises state-labour relations.
Donna Turner
PhD Candidate
Asia Research Centre
Murdoch University
South St
MURDOCH 6150
dturner@murdoch.edu.au