Westlite Accommodation Malaysia, an owner-operator of Purpose-Built Workers Accommodation (PBWA) or Centralised Accommodations, today announced plans to increase its PBWA capacity in Malaysia to cater to the growing needs of multinational companies, small and medium enterprises and human resource agents there.
Westlite is the management platform of Centurion Corporation.
Following the completion of its reconfiguration exercise in December 2021, all Westlite PBWA assets in Malaysia are in compliance with the new regulatory specifications set out in the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 2019 (Act 446), which is aligned with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards.
All the dormitories in Westlite’s portfolio have since received the Certificate of Accommodation from the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia or Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Semenanjung Malaysia (JTKSM). Act 446 was passed in July 2019 and became fully enforceable at the end of 2021 following extended grace periods given by the Malaysian government due to the challenging Covid-19 situation.
The amended act made it mandatory for employers across all sectors to provide accommodation for migrant workers that meets the minimum standards specified by Act 446. This includes the provision of utilities and amenities such as a bathroom, toilet, bed and mattress, a locked cupboard as well as sufficient space for cooking, resting and eating.
“Westlite is always exploring ways to grow organically by reconfiguring spaces to increase capacity. In 2Q2022, asset enhancement works carried out at Westlite Tebrau for instance added 688 beds to the portfolio. With more employers including SMEs striving to comply with Act 446, we expect to see a growth in demand for high-quality, thoughtfully constructed and professionallymanaged worker accommodations. This would also benefit the human resource agents who now need to ensure that they are adequately housing the foreign workers whom they bring into Malaysia, said Kong Chee Min, CEO of Centurion.
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Westlite’s Malaysian portfolio currently comprises eight Westlite Accommodation properties located across Johor, Penang and Selangor. These states have the highest number of foreign workers in the manufacturing sector – which dominates the number of foreign workers – contributing to around 35% of the country’s estimated 2 million foreign workforce. With the reconfiguration works for Act 446, the bed count capacity of Westlite’s Malaysian PBWA portfolio has consequently been reduced to 25,099 beds (as at June 30).
“Our strength lies in understanding the needs and challenges of the government, regulators, businesses and the local communities. We are fully supportive of Act 446’s enforcement, however, we recognise that not all employers are equipped to prepare accommodations and housing for their employees that meet the minimum standards in basic amenities, hygiene and safety. Thus, we are looking to provide employers especially SMEs with a safe, secure and efficient solution to foreign workers’ management and accommodation needs,” says Alfred Lee, deputy head workers accommodation and country head of Malaysia for Centurion.
Shares in Centurion closed 1.5 cents lower on Sept 13 at 40 cents.
Photo: Centurion
