An Asian parliamentary caucus on labour migration has called on Putrajaya to reveal details of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) it signed with nations who send their citizens to Malaysia for work, following reports of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in the country, reports themalaysianinsider.com. 

Nepal MP Zakir Hussain said his embassy officials told him that one Nepali death was recorded at detention camps in Malaysia every week due to starvation and limited access to healthcare: "A total of 346 Nepalese nationals died here last year, with 52 deaths in detention camps. What I don't understand is how Malaysia has adequate laws on migrant labour but practises low standards of human rights.”

The caucus, which is on a fact-finding mission to Malaysia, also accused Putrajaya of being a stumbling block to the finalising of the Asean Framework Instrument on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights of Migrant Workers, which has been in the works since 2007.

Malaysian MP Charles Santiago, who is a member of the caucus, said the government has signed MoUs with Bangladesh, Nepal, and Indonesia, among others, but details of these were unknown.

"It appears that those who are familiar with the content of the MoUs are labour brokers, who use it to manipulate migrant workers. This is the common complaint among the embassies and workers themselves. There is no reason for these MoUs to be shrouded in secrecy," Mr Santiago added.

One of the recommendations of the caucus is for Putrajaya to have a government-to-government approach in the recruitment of migrant workers in order to minimise recruitment costs and exploitation by outsourcing to companies and labour brokers.

The caucus also found that in addition to violation of labour rights including poor wages and long working hours, migrant workers in Malaysia continue to live in poverty.

"In some instances, they are worse off that they were before in their country of origin," said Pakistan MP Sabiha Nazir.

According to Mr Santiago, the Malaysian Labour Department declined an invitation from the caucus to attend the three-day meeting which ends today.

Mariquit Melgar, a representative from the Philippines, also called on the Malaysian government to practice fair play, saying that Filipinos working in Malaysia since the 1970s have contributed to the development and economy of Malaysia.

"In a session with our workers last month, they told us that they are not here to create trouble, and that they are doing their best, working long hours. They are not terrorists, they are not robbers, they just want better treatment and fair wages, is that too much to ask for?" she said.

In calling for recruitment of migrant workers to be conducted on an inter-governmental basis, Mr Santiago said this would protect them from being exploited by outsourcing companies and labour brokers who were practicing "contract substitution".

The MP from Pakistan revealed that workers from her country had signed agreements with high wages and wonderful terms in Pakistan, but when they got here, these outsourcing companies would substitute their contracts, where they would end up with poor wages and bad living conditions.

"The MP said that workers she met here yesterday were practically crying over allegations that they had been cheated by these middlemen," Mr Santiago said.

Migrant workers, however, are not the only workers to suffer in Malaysia, with concern growing for the conditions of young Malaysian workers. In December 2013, a 27-year-old Indonesian copywriter tweeted about being ‘worked to death’ shortly before she collapsed, slipped into a coma, and died a day later.

While the official cause of death is not known, many believe that her untimely death was caused by a combination of being overworked and the excessive consumption of energy drinks, which she used to get through her work.

A global survey by employment agency Regus found that Malaysians are generally overworked. Based on the survey, 15% of Malaysians work more than 11 hours a day, which compares with an average of 10% of employees around the world who put in more than eight hours a day.

Although the Employment Act states that the maximum number of working hours for a person should not exceed 10 hours a day and 48 hours a week, many young employees feel that their jobs take up more than the work hours laid out in the Act.

A recent phenomenon is something called digital working time, which refers to time spent responding to work matters through email, internet or mobile connectivity beyond formal working hours.

It has now become an unspoken doctrine in the modern working world so as not to be seen as lazy or insubordinate for not responding to work-related matters beyond the normal working hours.

Competition and ambition have also made young employees feel that they must constantly be at the service of their companies or organisations, particularly with the technology of mobile connectivity these days.

Recent health statistics, however, show that many of the Malaysians who suffer from depression, stress, cardiac problems, and anxiety aged between 20 and 40.