Treat ex-convicts equally, employers told

KAJANG - Ex-convicts should be treated equally in the workplace, says Hamidah Hamzan, Deputy Director of Panasonic Appliances Air Conditioning Sdn Bhd.

In advising small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and business owners, she urged them to join the Corporate Smart Internship Programme (CSI).

"Firstly, you need to explain to your other employees that you’re taking ex-prisoners on as coworkers in your company.

"And you have to treat them equally, for example, even for small things like uniforms and going to the same cafeteria and prayer room.

"This is what we do at Panasonic, where everything is equal. If the other workers are given a chance to do overtime, then they are also given chances to do overtime," she said.

Hamidah shared that they started the programme in 2019 with only 60 people, but it grew to 1,000 employees.

She spoke during the "Youturn Day: Welcoming Prisoners Back to Society" forum at Kajang Prison, here, today.

The forum also discussed transit houses for the ex-prisoners to stay before starting their new life with the community and bringing awareness to the community about co-habiting with former prisoners.

Also present were Parole and Community Service, Assistant Commissioner Prison, Zawari Abd Rashid, Malaysian Care Volunteer and former convict, Sam Kian Seng and Muslims Consumer Association of Malaysia, Datuk Nadzim Johan.