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PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) today compared Putrajaya’s amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1967 to state-sponsored union busting tactics meant to divide the labour movement as the spat between the union and the human resources minister prolongs.
Its secretary-general J Solomon said the amendments tabled by minister M Kula Segaran last month were aimed at “destroying the solidarity of the labour movement”.
He also alleged that they were aimed at denying workers effective union representation in negotiating collective agreements (CA) with employers.
Solomon said Kula had gone ahead with the amendments despite allegedly telling the MTUC president and himself that having more than one union in the same workplace will destroy unions.
“However, he made a complete U-turn and tabled the amendments which, if passed, will enable multiple unions being created at workplaces, leading to chaos and in-fighting among unions and depriving workers of effective bargaining power,” he said in a statement.
Solomon also said that if the amendments are passed, he expects employers and the ministry to actively promote their “preferred unions” at work places.
He claims “friendly NGOs and individuals” will support such a move, adding that this would only render unions unproductive and unable to serve workers effectively.
Solomon criticised Kula’s attempts to justify multiple unions at a workplace as being in line with a convention that allows freedom of association and protection of the right to organise convention under the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Such reasoning, he said, “defies logic”.
“There are so many restrictions on trade unions in the Industrial Relations Act 1967 which are against the spirit of Convention 87 and have continuously weakened the labour movement over the years,” he said, referring to the said convention.
Solomon said that while Convention 87, or C87, did touch on multiplicity of unions, the ILO has made it clear the governments were free to determine which relevant provisions should be applied based on “needs and suitability”.
He said that despite espousing the amendments as being in line with C87, Kula failed to explain to Parliament why the government has not ratified the ILO convention.
He said that Kula had, a few months ago, told the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) that he will recommend for the government to ratify C87 at the next Cabinet meeting, but till today, they have not heard anything.
“So, we have a situation where the minister says his Industrial Relations Act amendments are in accordance with C87 and yet his ministry does not want to ratify the very same convention. Clearly, something is not right.”
Source : https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/11/03/proposed-labour-law-amendments-meant-to-destroy-unions-claims-mtuc/
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com