Labour group: MEF’s fear-mongering over amendment bill unfounded

The Labour Law Reform Coalition has urged the government to pay no heed to doom-mongers from the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

It said the federation’s claims that the proposed amendments to the Trade Unions Act 1959 could harm the country’s economic stability, are unfounded.

The group claimed that MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman selectively ignored the fundamental purpose of the act - to promote good industrial relations.

The Trade Unions Act 1959 is the last of three fundamental labour laws in the country to see major amendments that would bring about unparalleled changes in the country's labour movement.

The amendments scheduled to be tabled for the second reading in Parliament next month, are in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise.

“During the second reading of the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill 2022, we hope the government chooses the side of the 99 percent workers over the one percent of millionaires,” it urged.

The labour group argued that Sections 12(3)(d) and 12(3)(d)(e) of the Trade Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 retained the director-general’s power to refuse the registration of a trade union.

They explained in a statement today, that the director-general could refuse registration if a trade union constitution conflicted with the act or any existing regulations.

The director-general could also refuse to register a trade union if it promoted ill-will and hostility between different races, religions and nationalities.

MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman

“We disagree with Syed Hussain’s contention that the proposed amendments if passed, will allow for the act to be used as a political tool to bring detrimental impact to the economic stability of the country.

“We also disagree that it can lead to an outbreak of strikes and disruption of public order.

“The proposed new strike can only take place with more than 50 percent secret ballot votes cast in favour of the action and the secret ballot must have the attendance of at least 60 percent of the union members,” it explained.

Unscrupulous employers

The group described this to be a high threshold of the strike requirement and stated that according to the Trade Union Affairs Department, there had been no strike action conducted by trade unions over the past six years.

“Most trade unions could only organise pickets to avoid violating the draconian law, so what more industrial harmony does the MEF want?” it asked.

Comparing trade unions to employers, the group said unscrupulous employers, emboldened by draconian law, were quick to take harsh action against workers while trade unions were highly responsible and cooperated with the government.

The labour movement representing 58 trade unions and NGOs declared that the sole purpose of MEF was to squeeze maximum profit from workers through an exploitative economic system.

“Employers will never support any improvement of workers’ rights,” it accused.

The labour reform group urged MEF to emulate its Swedish counterparts, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, which maintains harmonious industrial relations with trade unions in an environment of free trade unionism.

“Employers must become more mature and negotiate with their social partners without the unfair leverage from supposedly neutral state machinery,” it urged. - Mkini