PETALING JAYA, Dec 29 — Lower income employees in the private sector may not be able to work two jobs to make ends meet as most employers frowned on such a practice due to a question mark over productivity.
This may also apply to public servants for the same reason.
Malaysian Employer Federation executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said most private sector organisations had provisions prohibiting employees from taking up another job.
“I would say this is reasonable as most employers do not want staff with a second job to be exhausted when performing their normal job,” he told Malay Mail.
Shamsuddin said although the Employment Act 1955 did not specifically forbid employees from working two jobs, one had to obtain permission which was normally not given.
“If one obtains a letter from his employer to take up another job, he may be blacklisted as a second job would not be conducive to productivity,' he said.
He was commenting on deputy International Trade and Industry minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan's suggestion that Malaysians who found it difficult to cope with the rising cost of living take on a second job.
Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda said the organisation would not encourage civil servants taking on another job as this would make difficult to gauge productivity.
"The rules allow public sector employees to hold a second job provided it did not contribute to one’s pension. But the technicality aside, we not not encourage the practice as we would not know to which job the individual focused on,” he said.
Azih was also concerned about how civil servants would cope with working long hours as there was a need to balance one’s professional and personal life.
On civil servants who earned extra by driving taxis or working as gas station
attendants, he said these jobs may not have anything to do with their regular jobs and a conflict of interest may not arise.
"But these instances shouldn’t be used as justification to encourage civil servants to work two jobs.”
Meanwhile, MTUC secretary-general N. Gopal Krishnam said Ahmad Maslan's proposal was impractical as a second job would take a toll on health and productivity.
"Holding two jobs may lead to a negative impact on employees who may have less quality time with their family. This could very well lead to social problems in the long run.'
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