Proposed scheme to also cover trips unrelated to work
ALL workers in Malaysia will receive social security protection outside of working hours including weekends under a new scheme, says Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad.
He said the need for a non-workplace accident scheme is paramount, owing to the worrying rate of accidents involving workers in the country, which saw 85,529 cases recorded last year.Abdul Rahman said Malaysia has also seen an increase in flexible working arrangements (FWA) over the past few years.
“The scheme covers accidents that do not arise from and during the course of employment and are not directly related to employment.
“The proposed scheme will cover accidents that occur in Malaysia, outside of working hours, including accidents on trips that are not related to work,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
The deputy minister was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) (pic) who had sought the ministry’s elaboration on the scheme’s mechanism.
Abdul Rahman said the Cabinet has given the nod to the proposed scheme under the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) and will be tabled this year.
He also said this new scheme was introduced following a shift of the working landscape, which included FWA due to digitalisation.
“The implementation of the scheme by PERKESO is a social protection mechanism in addressing the challenges of work-related risks and risks outside of working hours, especially for workers involved in FWA,” he said.
The scheme would also cover workers in the gig sector and freelancers, Abdul Rahman added.
The ministry, he said, had engaged stakeholders including representatives from small and medium enterprises, Malaysian Employers Federation, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Malaysian Trades Union Congress and Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services to discuss the scheme.
