'Amendment to Trade Unions Act violates workers’ rights'

 

A coalition of unions has slammed the passing of the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill 2022, which aims to abolish restrictions on the formation of trade unions as well as allow multiplicity of trade unions.

In a statement today, the Coalition against Multiplicity of Unions (Camu) said that it was merely a rhetorical move taken by the Human Resources Ministry without taking into account the actual situation on the ground.

Its chairperson, Rudy Rusly (above), pointed out that the amendment would only violate workers’ rights and divide them by increasing the number of unions at workplaces, aside from eroding the freedom of trade unions.

“When this happens, it will certainly create ‘puppet unions’ and proxies to the employers and political parties.

“Surely, this will weaken the bargaining power in the collective agreement.

“In the collective agreement negotiations, the power to negotiate will only be given to a single union even if there is more than one trade union when this amendment takes place,” he said.

Elaborating on the matter, Rudy said this would harm the workers as the union given the sole bargaining right to negotiate will lose focus due to interference from other unions that do not have majority.

This, he said, would eventually weaken the union carrying out negotiations.

“This will create unhealthy competition as each (union) will fight and in the end, the workers will also be at loss.

“The reason why workers are continuously being lied to and becoming victims is because of all the MPs who support the bill.”

Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar

In delivering his winding-up speech in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 10, Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar said the multiplicity of trade unions is expected to have a good impact - especially on workers - besides giving freedom to the workers to join or establish unions according to their own choice.

Sivakumar also expressed hope that the amendment will help create “more mature, progressive, healthy, and competitive trade unions to ensure that employee benefits can be increased”.

The bill contains the same proposed amendment which was read and passed in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 5 last year.

However, the bill did not make it to the Dewan Negara as Parliament was dissolved on Oct 10.

Meanwhile, Rudy also emphasised that the passing of the amendment did not take into consideration the Federal Court’s decision in 2017 that ruled that the multiplicity of trade unions create disharmony.

“Therefore, due to the lack of concern of the Human Resources Ministry on the workers in Malaysia, Camu is determined to continue protesting this bill." - Mkini