Young lawyers pen guide on retrenchment practices

 

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah with authors Marcus Lee (left) and Mannvir Baljit Singh after launching their book at the Royal Lake Club.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Two young lawyers, with about 10 years of combined experience in legal practice, have co-authored a book that provides a guide to legal principles for employers conducting retrenchments.

Mannvir Baljit Singh and Marcus Lee said their experience in employment and industrial relations had exposed them to the challenges and implications of conducting a retrenchment exercise.

Our goal is to offer a balanced viewpoint on legal and ethical duties while also recognising the personal aspects of such an exercise,

 they said in the preface to the book titled Company’s Guide to Retrenchment in Malaysia.

Court of Appeal judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah launched the book at the Royal Lake Club here this evening.

In his foreword, Sequerah described retrenchment of employees as one of the most sensitive and difficult areas to navigate.

It involves the loss of livelihood, not through any fault of the employer or employee but brought about by circumstances beyond the control of either party.

Sequerah said such exercises often involved intense emotions and had a significant impact on the affected employees’ families.

He congratulated the authors for undertaking the challenge of unravelling and explaining in simple language how such an exercise ought to be carried out.

Senior industrial law practitioner T Thavalingam, in his foreword, said the efforts of the young authors must not go unnoticed.

This publication will certainly be a useful point of reference for all practitioners. I hope Mannvir and Lee will write more books on employment law in the future,

 he said.

The book also explores various alternatives for employers to consider before proceeding with retrenchment, emphasising the importance of maintaining human connections and addressing the emotional and psychological aspects of such exercises.

Also present at the book launch were Federal Court judges Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, as well as High Court judge Firuz Jaffril. - FMT