Sarawak bank union to picket if workers ordinance not amended

 

The Sarawak Bank Employees Union (SBEU) warned that workers may picket over the Sarawak government’s failure to amend the local labour ordinance to be in line with the peninsula’s Employment Act.

SBEU chief executive officer Andrew Lo said even workers in Kelantan can get better benefits and protection compared to their counterparts in Sarawak.

“We call on the Sarawak and federal government to stop playing politics with the plight of Sarawakian workers.

“They must make sure the Sarawak Labour Ordinance is on par with the federal government’s Employment Act (Amendment) 2012 without further delay.

“We need to point out that all it takes is for the Sarawak cabinet to agree for the federal Human Resources Ministry to table the bill in Parliament. Sabah has already agreed.

“(If not) workers will be forced to picket,” he said in a statement today, adding that they plan to picket on Labour Day (May 1).

Lo said the Sabah cabinet approved an amendment to the Sabah Labour Ordinance (SLO) in October 2022, standardising the ordinance with the Employment Act - which had been amended earlier that year.

He said some 2.04 million workers and 187,000 employers in Sabah stand to benefit from the amendments, which include reducing weekly work hours to 45 hours, extending maternity leave to 98 days, and introducing a seven-day paternity leave.

“This undue delay is unacceptable. Workers in Sarawak, especially the non-unionised employees, are worse off than their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia and soon, Sabah.

“This offends the constitutional right of equality under the law, and continues to permit the discrimination and exploitation of workers in East Malaysia,” Lo added.

In July last year, Bernama reported that Sabah and Sarawak were advised to amend their respective state labour ordinances to be consistent with the amendments to the then Employment Act 1955.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud had said the amendment, which can only be made through the approval of the legislatures in Sabah and Sarawak, will allow local workers in both regions to enjoy the same rights and benefits as people in other states under the Federation of Malaysia.

He added that Sarawak gave positive feedback to examine the need to amend its Labor Ordinance. - Mkini