Help for stranded Chinese

The Chinese embassy in Malaysia is trying to help 207 Chinese workers return home from Kelantan, where they are stranded after being cheated by a job agency, an embassy councilor said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The Chinese workers refused to work in the northern Malaysian city, and demanded that their transaction fees be returned after finding their salaries were much lower than that promised by a Tianjin-based job agency.

Tianjin Zhongtuo, a company engaged mainly in getting overseas jobs for Chinese workers, had promised them a monthly salary of 4,500-9,000 yuan ($580-1,160).

But after reaching Kelantan early last month, they realized they would get only about 1,000 yuan a month, the Beijing Evening News reported.

"We are working with the Chinese and Malaysian job agencies to settle the labor dispute so that the workers can return home as soon as possible," Shen Yongxian, councilor in the Chinese embassy, said yesterday.

The Chinese embassy is very concerned over the issue, but because it involves Chinese and Malaysian companies, "we need a little more time to resolve the issue", he said.

Many Chinese-Malaysians, moved by the workers' condition, have sent them food and clothes, the councilor said.

Since an increasing number of Chinese today are choosing to work abroad, Shen has urged them to study the credibility of the agencies carefully before applying for a job and paying them their fees.

Source: China Daily