MTUC president denies that the Perkeso scheme was introduced without consulting stakeholders, says discussions have been ongoing since 2018.
Halim said he respected the right of union leaders to speak up and champion workers, but disagreed with picketing in this particular instance.
He said a better approach would be to continue holding dialogues with Perkeso and the government to raise workers’ concerns about the scheme.
Halim also disagreed with the notion that Lindung 24/7 was introduced without consulting workers and key stakeholders.
“Discussions about the need to expand social security to accidents outside of work hours are not new. They have been ongoing for several years involving workers representatives, employers, unions and other stakeholders.
“Since 2018, a series of engagements were held in 13 locations across the country, joined by more than 1,400 people. MTUC was among the organisations involved in the process.
“Discussions about this scheme continued when more details about its concept and implementation were revealed. I was involved in such discussions with Perkeso,” he said in a statement.
Halim also said there was still room for discussion to raise differences in views about contribution rates, implementation and other matters.
He defended the Lindung 24/7 scheme, saying it covers a long-existing gap in workers’ protection, safeguarding families in the event of unwanted incidents outside of work hours.
“We must see Lindung 24/7 not only from the perspective of contributions but also the risks that workers and their families bear in the event that unwanted incidents occur outside work hours.
“The government also took into account the views of stakeholders by deciding that participation in the scheme would be voluntary. In my view, the government has given reasonable time for workers to decide whether they want to be a part of Lindung 24/7 or not.”
Lindung 24/7 is fully worker-funded, unlike traditional Perkeso models which are funded mainly by employers. Contributions start at 0.75% of monthly wages, rising to 1% in year three and 1.25% from the sixth year onward.
Employers remit the amount to Perkeso alongside the other usual monthly contributions, allowing eligible workers to receive coverage without taking up a separate policy.
Yesterday, Kamarul said pickets would be held at Perkeso offices nationwide to protest Lindung 24/7’s implementation and urge the organisation to hold immediate discussions with workers’ representatives.
The MTUC secretary-general said the contribution percentage was too high and claimed that unions were not consulted about the scheme. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.