Kota Kinabalu: Three major plantation associations have jointly urged the Sabah Government to reconsider the mandatory implementation of the Foreign Workers Training System (SLPA) via the e-Lestari platform, citing its recurring RM300 per-worker fee tied to licensing.
The Sabah Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA), East Malaysia Planters’ Association (EMPA), and Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association (MEOA) said completion of the training has been made a prerequisite for the issuance and renewal of the Licence to Employ Non-Resident Workers.
According to the groups, with 76,726 registered foreign workers in Sabah’s plantation sector, the fee represents an indicative direct cost of roughly RM23.02 million per full cycle, creating substantial financial exposure across recurring licensing periods.
The associations emphasised that the industry already invests significantly in internal worker inductions, occupational safety, and compliance, warning that the official curriculum substantially overlaps with existing employer-funded programmes without demonstrating clear additional value.
The groups also called for greater transparency regarding the composition and utilisation of the RM300 fee—noting that part of the funds is reportedly channelled into local human capital development—and urged the state to engage affected industries to establish a more proportionate framework.