Source - THE STAR ONLINE
WebLink - http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/4/nation/3802164&sec=nation
Date - Monday, 4.5.2009

Claims against job agencies top list

KUALA LUMPUR : Claims against employment agencies in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have topped the list of cases filed with the Tribunal for Consumer Claims this year.

Tribunal chairman Rungit Singh said while a total of 202 cases were filed against such agencies last year, 156 claims had already been filed against several in the first quarter of this year alone in the capital.

“Cases against employment agencies was ranked fourth last year,” he said in an interview.

There was at least one case against an employment agency in the list for every tribunal sitting here this year, he added.

Rungit also noted that neither the owners nor representatives of employment agencies had turned up at the tribunal here to date, leaving him to give judgment-in-default awards to the claimants.

“However, the companies comply with the order to refund the deposit or registration fees to the claimants.

“We have yet to receive notice of any non-compliance by employment agencies so far,” he said.

He added that the claimants, who were generally seeking jobs as data entry clerks or working in office operations and with computer processors, paid between RM150 and RM200 when they registered with the employment agencies.

However, they ended up filing claims with the tribunal after the agencies were unable to get them any job offers within the stipulated time frame, said Rungit