Free iPhones for waiters: Malaysia's eateries in desperate bid to woo workers

PETALING JAYA • Battered by a shortage of workers, Malaysia's desperate restaurant owners are turning to robot waiters, and even offering Malaysians expensive iPhones, just to retain staff for at least six months.

Some 1,500 restaurants around Malaysia have been forced to pull down their shutters.

Food and beverage business owners said that to cope with the severe labour crunch, they have had to cut operating hours and menu items. To make matters worse, workers are being lured with better offers to work in other sectors, like plantations.

The shortage was largely caused by an exodus of foreign workers at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. They had not been able to come back because of the government ban on the entry of new foreign workers.

While migrant workers may again be hired, the process has been slow.

Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, president of the Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma), said his group's members have not been able to plug the staff shortage with local workers, with poaching of workers rampant. "Some desperate employers even hire agents to help them poach workers from restaurants," he said.

He added: "The government has announced that employers should not retain workers' passports, so it is easy for the workers to walk away. Employers who have paid the levy, insurance and Social Security Organisation contributions can only watch helplessly."

On Sunday, Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan said an identity card by sector would be introduced to address the problem of foreign workers switching to other sectors arbitrarily. This would still not stop intra-sector poaching, said Mr Jawahar.

He said Presma and the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association are instead suggesting that the i-Kad be reintroduced. The passports can then be retained by employers, he said.

The Immigration Department had earlier introduced the i-Kad, which foreign workers can use as an identification document.

Mr Jawahar said around 1,500 restaurants have closed shop and many others have shortened their operating hours. Restaurant owners who can afford to fork out money are using delivery robots, but these cost around RM60,000 (S$19,000) each, he said.

Others are promising extra perks and attendance incentives.

"Even if you give them the stars and the moon, I don't think locals will last long. They might use our restaurant as a training ground and later jump to Singapore for a better exchange rate," said Mr Jawahar.

Banana leaf restaurant Kanna Curry House is offering free iPhone SE models to Malaysians willing to work as waiters at any of its branches for a minimum of six months, as well as a RM10 hourly wage and eight-hour workdays. Operational manager Yoga Kannan said the offer is aimed at encouraging Malaysians to work and stay on in the industry.

"Malaysians don't want to do 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) jobs," he said. "Besides offering iPhones, we are also offering 9am to 5pm working hours. So far, five workers have redeemed their iPhones."

Pan Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurants and Chefs Association president Wong Teu Hoon said almost all his group's members are suffering from manpower shortage.

Many have reduced their hours as their workers are too tired, while some even close for two days a week due to complaints from overworked staff.

Restaurants are also raising workers' salaries due to their additional workload, said Mr Wong.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK