Foreign workers in Malaysia, a majority of whom come from Indian subcontinent will not be allowed to form their own trade unions but can join existing ones, Human Resource Minister S Subramaniam said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Although he admitted that there are cases of abuse of foreign workers by Malaysian employers, he said both local and overseas workers come under Employment Act 1955 and have similar rights in wages, leave, working hours, layoff notice and insurance coverage.

"Many foreign workers in plantations have become members of the National Union of Plantation Workers and can lodge complaints and seek justice," he told the parliament.

Thousands of Indians and nationals from Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh work in Malaysia that heavily relies on foreign workforce to help out in plantation, construction and restaurant sectors.

However, there have been several cases where employers ill treated the migrants, depriving them of wages and food. In April, Ganesh, a migrant worker hailing from Tamil Nadu was chained and starved by his ethnic Indian employers in northern Malaysia's Kedah state before he died. Subramaniam said incidents of abusing foreign workers occur in other countries as well.