Keep anti-discrimination provisions in Employment Act, JAG tells govt

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PETALING JAYA: A coalition of women’s rights groups has urged Putrajaya to make anti-discrimination provisions part of the country’s labour laws, in the wake of reports that such provisions will not be included in the Employment Act 1955.

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), which brings together 14 women’s rights groups including Tenaganita, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and Sisters in Islam, also called on the relevant ministries, especially the human resources ministry, to stop gender discrimination during the recruitment process.

“This is crucial given that discrimination often happens during the recruitment process, affecting the employment opportunities of many individuals,” the coalition said in a statement today.

It added that minister M Kula Segaran must ensure that the anti-discrimination provision is kept in the amendments to the Employment Act.JAG cited a survey by WAO which estimated that 40% of women were discriminated against on the basis of pregnancy and highlighted the low participation of women in Malaysia’s job market compared to Singapore and Vietnam.

“While this statistic could be attributed to many factors, the discriminatory barrier to job opportunities is, without doubt, a contributing factor,” it added.

“Discriminatory practices in the hiring process allow for gross misallocation of human resources whereby it is not the talent, experience or qualification of the jobseeker that is being evaluated, but other factors that have little or no bearing on the job seeker’s capabilities.”

It reminded Putrajaya of its obligation as a signatory to the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

JAG also expressed concern about findings by the Human Rights Commission that a majority of transgender individuals have been denied employment, as well as asked “intrusive questions and told to change their gender expression, particularly to cut their hair”.

“The human resources ministry must lead Malaysia into a new era of expansion, growth and productivity,” it said. - FMT