MIRI: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) is finalising its proposal to the government on labour law reforms which include three components of the Trade Union Act, Employment Act and Industrial Relation Act.
Its secretary-general J. Solomon said they are expected to submit the proposal to the government before Aug 22.
“After that, we expect the government to convene a meeting to go through the finer parts before the next point of action, and this was agreed to before and we will keep the affiliates update on the labour law reforms.
“Currently, with the new government, we are looking forward that the new labour laws will materialise beginning next year, and it’s better to go slow and steady so that the laws are amended to benefit workers rather than making it worse,” he said when officiating at MTUC Sarawak’s 7th Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC), here yesterday.
Solomon said the existing laws are very prohibitive, rendering Malaysia to only have two to three per cent unionised industry.
As such, he called for affiliates of MTUC to prepare well before the law is amended as more workers including in Sarawak are expected to become union members.
In addition, he said MTUC must strive to achieve its goal of having more unions set up in the country, following the call by Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran for Malaysia to have at least 30 per cent of the country’s workforce become union members.
Meanwhile, he said union leaders must persevere and be bold in reporting any shortcomings in industrial relations such as not having proper service and unjust treatment of workers in their respective sector, adding that without reports made, MTUC will not be able to help solve the problems faced.
At the same time, he urged all union members to remain united in championing not only their rights but also the rights of other staff and their family members.
“In this era, if you don’t speak out on behalf of your union members, you are doing the greatest injustice,” he said, while calling out the government for ‘continuously pampering’ employers at the expense of workers.
On another matter, Solomon said MTUC will be celebrating its 70th anniversary on Nov 10 this year with two main activities – fun run and dinner.
He encouraged more affiliates to take part in the celebration, adding that it is proper for them to celebrate so that the union would remain stronger in the next 70 years.
Meanwhile, MTUC Sarawak secretary Andrew Lo said the TDC had passed a resolution on the labour law reforms apart from an emergency resolution on controversial Indian preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
A total of 75 delegates representing 27 affiliates attended the half-day TDC.
Among those present were MTUC assistant secretary-general (Education) K. Somsundram and MTUC Sarawak chairman Mohamad Ibrahim Hamid.