S'pore firms to M'sian employees: Pack your clothes, come back, stay put

JOHOR BARU: Singaporean employers have started giving their employees “time off” to go back to Malaysia, pack their clothes and come back as they are anticipating a total closure of all land borders with the island republic beginning Wednesday (March 18).

Malaysian employees who do not return to Singapore by Tuesday night (March 17) will be given two weeks of unpaid leave.

Some Singaporean employers are providing hotel and hostel services for their employees as the Malaysian Government starts to take drastic measures to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

However, there are companies that have asked employees to stay with relatives or friends during this crisis.

One factory worker, who only wants to be known as Sara, said his company told him to go pack his clothes and return to Singapore before the new border controls were implemented.

“They are not taking any chances.

"My company said that if they cannot find me a place to stay, then I will just have to stay at the factory premises, ” he said.

He said he would be going back to Singapore after packing up as he was the family’s sole breadwinner with three school-going children.

Sara said he hoped the borders would remain open as many people’s livelihood was at stake.

Another daily commuter known as Tan, said his company would be providing food and a place to stay during the two weeks.

“However, the company has told that those who do not return on time that they will have to take a compulsory two weeks of unpaid leave.

“However, they have assured the Malaysians that they would not be terminated as this was a sudden decision by the Malaysian Government, ” he said, adding that many people were now in a limbo on whether to stay back in Singapore or return to Johor Baru.

Tan added that he had just returned home after his long night shift and was now planning to pack up and head back.

He said he hoped the Malaysian Government would consider their plight as there was already stringent health checks on both sides of the border.

Presently, some 300,000 people commute between the two border crossing between Malaysian and Singapore daily.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad is in Putrajaya to meet with the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss the matter, which is expected to take a heavy toll on the state’s economy.

Many businesses are already suffering due to the decrease in the number of Singaporean arrivals into the state following the Covid-19 outbreak in the last few weeks.