Trade unions get RM3.2mil to enhance leadership skills

 

The trade union representatives with their mock cheques at the presentation in Melaka. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The trade union affairs department has approved 369 financial aid requests totalling RM3.2 million for registered trade unions nationwide this year.

The department’s director-general, Asri Abdul Wahab, said the one-time financial support was an initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s trade union movement by creating an educational platform to enhance leadership skills among union members through continuous learning.

In a Bernama report, he said the unions can use their allocations for training and educational programmes, research on trade union movements and scholarly writing on labour-related issues.

He said the money can also be used for the procurement of information and communication technology equipment, the development of e-learning modules in video simulation format, and group insurance purchases.

“This year, we received a significantly high number of applications for the programme. We received 1,206 applications from various trade unions nationwide involving more than RM65 million,” he said during an event in Melaka.

“However, only 369 applications involving an allocation of RM3.2 million were approved after rigorous screening, taking into account several important criteria.”

Asri said priority was given to small and medium-sized trade unions that had previously not received such aid. Their activities and submission of reports, including financial statements, were also taken into account when approving these allocations. - FMT