Malaysia plans new insurance scheme for Singapore cross-border workers

A new insurance scheme will be created for Malaysians working in Singapore to ensure they remain covered even during their daily cross-border commute, says Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan.The new scheme will ensure that the nearly 400,000 Malaysians who cross the border daily from Johor are not left out of social security protection after working hours.“What happens when you are travelling from your workplace back to your home? Where is the coverage during this period? That coverage is not provided, so we are coming up with a new scheme for workers going back and forth between Malaysia and Singapore,” Ramanan said in an exclusive interview.He added that the new insurance scheme was one of his main priorities since being appointed as minister in December.“Workers should not be victimised simply because they are working in Singapore. As long as you are from Malaysia, I believe that the same standards of safety and care should be given to you,” he said.It is estimated that more than 1.18 million Malaysians work in Singapore, with between 300,000 and 400,000 commuting across the causeway every day.Ramanan said his ministry was in the process of reviewing 26 related laws to ensure that they were relevant and in line with Interna­tional Labour Organization standards.