KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Frustrated with some people offering jobs to his foreign workers, a restaurant owner in Klang has put up posters appealing for them to stop doing so.

Restoran Always Best owner M. Selvan said his problem started after the government closed the borders following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The prospective employers, said Selvan, would approach the workers when they were having their meals in his restaurant in Bandar Bukit Tinggi.

"I lost two of my workers early this year due to the 'pinching'. One went to work in a factory producing ice cubes while another went to work in a restaurant in Banting."

Although Selvan managed to locate the duo eventually, he was informed by his other workers in his restaurant that other employers had approached them.

"That is when I decided to put up the posters," he said, adding that he put up a total of five posters in his restaurant.

The employers, he said, would offer higher salaries in a bid to entice his workers to join them.

"But the foreign workers are unaware that they cannot simply switch employers at their whim and fancy.

"They are committing an offence if they join an employer that is different from the one stated in the work permit."

Selvam said the frequency of his workers being "pinched" had lessened since he put up the posters.

"Now there will be four to five attempts weekly compared to double the attempts prior to the posters being put up."

Selvam added that he also maintained a close rapport with his workers in a bid to stop them from leaving.

"I remind them constantly that it is against the law to work with someone who is not named in their work permit."

Besides pinching of workers, restaurants are also dangling goodies to get workers to fill up vacancies.

Malay Mail reported on Tuesday that banana leaf restaurant Kanna Curry House was offering free iPhone SEs to local Malaysians willing to work as waiters at any of its branches for a minimum of six months as well as RM10 hourly wages.

The move comes after all its seven branches desperately sought local employees to fill vacancies after 50 of their foreign staff returned to their home country since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.