5,000 foreign workers at risk after sudden closure of RTK 2.0, bosses claim

PUTRAJAYA: The government has been urged to explain the sudden closure of the Second Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK 2.0), which has affected about 5,000 foreign workers and their employers.

They are appealing for a transition period to let them complete pending recalibration matters, and for the government to implement alternatives to avoid adverse effects such as detention and deportation of workers who were in the midst of the legalisation process.

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“Some of us have paid the fees for health screening and levy among others, after our quota for foreign workers was approved," said Rewathi Rajendran, one of the affected employers.

"Suddenly, the approval was cancelled.

“The authorities say they will refund the fees but we don’t want that – we want the manpower as we’re facing shortages and we urge them to give us an explanation,” she told reporters on Wednesday (Sept 25).

She was among dozens of employers who staged a peaceful protest in front of the Home Ministry complex here.

They also submitted a memorandum requesting the reopening of RTK 2.0 to the ministry to its minister's press secretary Norhayati Abd Manaf.

Group spokesman Syah Putra Marwan said the abrupt closure of RTK 2.0 left employers and foreign workers in a state of uncertainty.

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“It has significantly affected employers who were complying with the law by registering their foreign workers.

“This disruption is challenging for sectors heavily dependent on foreign labour, including construction, plantation and manufacturing,” he said.

Syah Putra also said foreign workers undergoing the legalisation process were now in a precarious situation.

“They risk detention and deportation despite their efforts to comply with the law through the programme,” he said.

Syah Putra said RTK 2.0 was an important initiative in ensuring workforce stability and the proper management of foreign workers in the country.

On Jan 9, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that employers would only be given three months to complete the process of legalising their illegal foreign workers by March 31 under RTK 2.0.