Sorry, I am lazy : Supermarket Reprimanded

A SUPERMARKET’S method of reprimanding a foreign worker over his handling of shoppers got a regular customer all riled up.
A Belgian expatriate said he was stunned when he saw the employee standing near the entrance of the Sri Kota Supermarket in Taman Danau Desa, Petaling Jaya, on Dec 11, with a cardboard sign with the words ‘Sorry, I am Lazy’ hanging from his neck.

The Belgian took a picture of the worker and e-mailed it to Weekend Mail last week.

“It’s a shame this happened. No way would you see something like this in Brussels, London or Paris,” he said.

On Friday, Pasaraya SJ Kota Sdn Bhd expressed regret over the incident the same day it submitted a report to the Labour Department.

The department had instructed the company to do so on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR: A supermarket’s tactic of reprimanding a foreign worker for his unprofessionalism has backfi red.

A Belgian expatriate was stunned on Dec 11 when he saw the employee, clad in the store’s uniform, standing at the entrance with a cardboard sign that said, ‘Sorry, I am Lazy’, around his neck.

He took a picture and emailed it to Weekend Mail.

“It was humiliating (for the employee) and tarnishes Malaysia’s image,” he wrote in his e-mail.

“The supermarket is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and many expatriates who live there shop there.”

He said he saw the worker at 10am in front of the Sri Kota Supermarket in Taman Danau Desa, Petaling Jaya.

He added that the worker stood there for half an hour with the sign around his neck.

The supermarket, he said, was open for business and there were many passers-by.

“It’s a shame this had to happen. No way would you see something like this in Brussels, London or Paris.

“It’s time we treat foreign workers better. This is not what we want our children to see.”

He said such incidents should not happen here as the country places a lot of importance on values.

Pasaraya SJ Kota Sdn Bhd expressed regret over the incident the same day it submitted a report to the Labour Department. The department instructed the company to do so on Wednesday.

This came about after Weekend Mail visited its Taman Danau Desa outlet and contacted Labour Department (Peninsular Malaysia) director-general Datuk Ismail Abdul Rahim on Monday.

“It’s unbecoming for an employer to behave this way. They can’t even call themselves Malaysian employers if they behave in such a manner,” Ismail said.

“There are proper ways to discipline employees and procedures to follow when doing so, and employers must abide by them.”

He said the department will look into the incident and if found guilty, the supermarket could be blacklisted from hiring foreign workers.

“Such actions damage the country’s image.”

When approached, the supermarket worker in question, who identified himself as Salim from Bangladesh, seemed nervous and was taken aback when shown the picture of him with the sign around his neck.

Salim’s job requires him to carry and sort out boxes, and to clean up, among others. He barely spoke or understood English.

“I learning,” was all he could say when asked about the incident.

Source: The Malay Mail