Workers will be allowed to go vote

‘Factories won’t close, but measures are in place to mitigate any disruption’

GEORGE TOWN: Factory workers will be allowed time off to exercise their voting rights in the six states involved on Aug 12.

Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai said that as production employees work around the clock, Aug 12 would not be an exception.

“But they will be allowed time off to vote. I doubt that factories will close on that day. Usually, it is time off for the employees to go out in batches, or intervals.

“The management will expect them to return and continue with their shift. If the worker is from a different state and wants to go back to vote, then he or she will probably have to apply for leave,” he said.

Wong said there is unlikely to be operational disruptions on polling day as matters would have been factored in earlier.

“Normally, if there is going to be reduced output this week, the management would have built up inventory over the previous weeks to meet the demand.

“If they need to reduce the workforce, they would make sure there is enough inventory to continue the shipment.

“If inventory is low, they would have informed customers and some orders would have to be pushed back. That way, it does not disrupt their clients’ operations.”

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (Penang) chairman Datuk Lee Teong Li echoed Wong’s sentiments.

“We will stagger it among the workers; some will go in the morning and others in the afternoon. If they are from different states, then we will encourage them to take leave to go back and vote,” he said.

Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (Samenta) national secretary Yeoh Seng Hooi said they would also provide time off for workers to carry out their voting responsibilities as citizens.