Labour coalition: Trade unions can protect Malaysians from job scammers

Labour Law Reform Coalition is urging the government to work closely with trade unions to safeguard the labour rights of Malaysians leaving for better salaries overseas.

Its co-chairperson Gopal Kishnam said Malaysian trade unions, through close links with counterparts from their respective sectors across the globe, should formulate a pre-departure mechanism for Malaysians leaving to work overseas.

“We should make use of the connections we have all over the world,” he said.

Gopal said in any country in the world, trade unions with representations in the company are the only body other than the government who are allowed to enter a factory or company premise to carry out an inspection or talk to workers.

Gopal, who is also the secretary-general of the National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Workers in Malaysia, told Malaysiakini that trade unions with representation in a factory could ensure foreign workers fully understood company regulations and were accorded their rights.

Owing to the network of trade unions across the world and even more so if they were affiliated with the same global unions or international trade union bodies, Gopal explained that local trade unions could play a big role in collaborating with the government to formulate a mechanism for the recruitment, placement and employment of Malaysians in any country.

Labour Law Reform Coalition chairperson Goapl Kishnam

He said through these networks, trade unions across the world will be working closely so Malaysians seeking employment overseas should take advantage of these close ties that could better protect them during their stint away from home.

“Workers will also be able to ensure that the jobs they are taking up are legitimate,” he stressed.

Myanmar love scam

Gopal was responding to the case of a Malaysian who escaped with a head injury and a broken leg from a love scam ring in Myanmar highlighted by The Star on June 9.

The 20-year-old who came forward with his story said there were 1,000 Malaysians like him who were lured to Myanmar under the false promise of high-paying jobs but were instead forced to participate in a love scam preying on Chinese living in the United States.

Gopal said trade unions here could introduce Malaysians to their respective counterparts overseas so even as new recruits in a foreign country, they could be better assured of their rights.

He said sometimes, in countries where the language was a huge barrier, the inability to communicate clearly could prevent workers from seeking redress.

He explained that workers could very easily be assimilated into foreign trade union bodies and familiarised with the labour laws of their receiving countries through pre-departure training sessions.

“In countries like Japan, it will be easy because nearly all sectors have strong trade union representation.

“In countries where there is poor trade union representation, the global unions have affiliates who can receive and assist Malaysian workers.

“Sometimes, something as simple as this can prevent our citizens from being wrongfully incarcerated,” he added. - Mkini