In the Star report, words used gave the impression that MTUC who was initially objecting to the new amendments to the Employment Act 1955 are no more... but this is NOT TRUE for MTUC continues to strongly oppose the said amendments till this day..
"The MTUC had initially opposed the amendments passed by the Dewan Rakyat last October on grounds that the changes would erode workers’ rights."
Again, the Minister is going on saying that reason for the amendment, which is still strongly objected to by workers, unions, MTUC, civil society ..., "...were not mooted by the Government but done at the request of the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW)..." - again the government is blaming NUPW and painting the picture that this BN government because the UNION asked, the government amended the law. The Minister forgets the strong protest by MTUC, Workers and Unions.... [Further, if you were only responding to pleas from one sector - the proposed amendments could have restricted just to that sector - easily a new part entitled 'Plantation Workers' with a section therein (Now also there are parts that cover one type of workers, like Part XI - Domestic Servants, but NO, the amendments was to cover all workers and all sectors... and now Minister says confined to this and that sector - tommorrow he expands to this and that sector and he can simply do this even 'secretly' with no media announcement/coverage - No need to go through Parliament...and soon, all workers will be covered - that is why we must call for REPEAL - and NO DISCRIMINATION based on sectors as proposed by the Minister..] See also In plantation, what happens is 'outsourcing of work' - DIFFERENT from the usage of 'outsourced workers' by Plantations
PUTRAJAYA: Amendments to the Employment Act pertaining to labour contractors will only apply to the plantation sector.
This was decided at a National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) meeting here.
“The Government will apply the amendments to only one sector, which is plantation. Other sectors will be excluded,” Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam told reporters after chairing the meeting yesterday.
The MTUC had initially opposed the amendments passed by the Dewan Rakyat last October on grounds that the changes would erode workers’ rights.
Dr Subramaniam, however, countered that the amendments were not mooted by the Government but done at the request of the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW).
The amendments include a provision requiring labour contractors to be registered, which the MTUC fears will further encourage sourcing of labour.
Dr Subramaniam said the NLAC agreed to work on guidelines regarding remuneration and bonus payouts to employees based on performance and productivity.
Also in the pipeline is a roundtable discussion with all stakeholders —from employers to workers and NGOs — to delve into the issue of bringing in and engaging foreign labour.
Regarding fears that a minimum wage could push employers to remove worker benefits in exchange for higher basic salaries, Dr Subramaniam said that would likely be only a temporary hiccup.
“Unionised workers would have their collective agreements to deal with such issues, while non-unionised workers can fall back on their contract agreements.
“Minimum wage only deals with the basic salary. Anything above the basic salary is up to the employee and employer to discuss.”
Meanwhile, manufacturers are asking for more time before the minimum wage policy is implemented.
They expressed their views at a press conference attended by 16 associations representing different industries.
Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association president Lim Kok Boon, who acted as their spokesman, said minimum wage was certain to increase overall production costs.
“A sudden and substantial hike in wages could result in some 200 small plastics manufacturing companies shutting down, leading to permanent loss of 10,000 jobs,” he added.- Star, 7/3/2012, Labour contractors only for plantation sector
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