Malaysian workers under the leadership of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC) held a picket attended by about 500 on Thursday(12/12/2013) in front of the Ministry of Human Resources in Putrajaya...
MENGAPA KITA PERLU BERPIKET?
While the protest was directed at the Minister and Ministry, the fact of the matter is that over the years this Barisan Nasional government that has governed Malaysia have been systematically eroding away worker and even trade union rights...
Worker and Trade Union Rights in BN-ruled Malaysia - A pro-business government that undermined worker rights, welfare and livelihood -
Malaysian workers today have also lost their right to regular employment - employment until the age of retirement which is essential for the well-being and financial security of the worker and their families, more so in a Malaysia where we are forced to take financial loans for homes, cars, motorcycles, etc that require monthly repayments. A worker who loses his/her job because his 'fixed duration contract' ends still is bound to make all these payments...even as he/she struggles to find new employment. Transferring of workers who have homes and family to some distant new workplace resulting in workers suddenly being forced to move or lose their jobs is just another method employed by bad employers - what choice? How do I re-locate suddenly the entire family to another location, or keep the family here and find a 'second' home in the new place resulting in serious increase in the cost of living of that worker's family and also a strain on family relationships (fathers separated from children and spouses from spouses...)
Meanwhile, MTUC also protested the transfer of 49 non-executive Hong Leong Bank employees from across the country to branches in Penang, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur...
The ability of workers to use industrial action, being the most efficient tool for claiming rights and defending against rights violation, was also effectively taken away by the Malaysian government through law... something I will discuss more in a later posting.
Malaysiakini Report
MTUC protests 'non-labour friendly' ministry
 |
Some
500 members of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) protested
at the Human Resources Ministry in Putrajaya yesterday, demanding the
annulment of Maybank's in-house union and for the ministry to act on
unaddressed labour issues.
MTUC president Khalid Atan (left)
said the congress wants the in-house union to be annulled as the bank's
employees are already represented by the National Union of Bank
Employees (Nube).
“There are two overlapping unions representing the same group of employees...We want Nube to represent all,” Khalid told Malaysiakini when contacted after the two-hour picket.
MTUC also condemned the Human Resource Ministry for approving the Maybank in-house union despite knowing that Nube has been representing the bank employees for decades.
On Nov 7, the High Court dismissed Nube's attempt to challenge the registration of the Maybank National Employees Union (Mayneu) by the director-general of trade unions.
In a reply to Parliament, Human Resources Minister Richard Riot (right) said the ministry cannot stop workers from forming their own unions as workers are guaranteed freedom of association.
However, this was challenged by opposition politicians who said having multiple unions empowered to conduct collective agreements would cause confusion and impair employer-employee discussions.
Meanwhile, MTUC also protested the transfer of 49 non-executive Hong Leong Bank employees from across the country to branches in Penang, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur and the sacking of two Maybank employees who were also Nube members.
According to Khalid, the ministry usually takes conflicts between employers and unions “lightly” instead of fulfilling its role as a middle person to bridge differences.
He said Section 9 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967 was not labour-friendly, as it allowed any application to form a union to be automatically resolved if the application was not recognised by the employers in 14 days.
As such, the MTUC urged amendments to the law, with both labour and employers being weighed equally, whereby a union will be automatically recognised if an employer fails to respond to an application within a given period.
It also called for secret ballots during union elections to be announced immediately to the unions, instead of making them wait for a letter from the ministry, which could take two to three months.
The congress also reiterated its call for minimum wage of RM900 and retirement age of 60 to be standardised for all companies, regardless of the location and industry, from Jan 1, 2014.- Malaysiakini, 13/12/2013, MTUC protests 'non-labour friendly' ministry
MTUC president Khalid Atan (left)
said the congress wants the in-house union to be annulled as the bank's
employees are already represented by the National Union of Bank
Employees (Nube). “There are two overlapping unions representing the same group of employees...We want Nube to represent all,” Khalid told Malaysiakini when contacted after the two-hour picket.
MTUC also condemned the Human Resource Ministry for approving the Maybank in-house union despite knowing that Nube has been representing the bank employees for decades.
On Nov 7, the High Court dismissed Nube's attempt to challenge the registration of the Maybank National Employees Union (Mayneu) by the director-general of trade unions.
In a reply to Parliament, Human Resources Minister Richard Riot (right) said the ministry cannot stop workers from forming their own unions as workers are guaranteed freedom of association. However, this was challenged by opposition politicians who said having multiple unions empowered to conduct collective agreements would cause confusion and impair employer-employee discussions.
Meanwhile, MTUC also protested the transfer of 49 non-executive Hong Leong Bank employees from across the country to branches in Penang, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur and the sacking of two Maybank employees who were also Nube members.
According to Khalid, the ministry usually takes conflicts between employers and unions “lightly” instead of fulfilling its role as a middle person to bridge differences.
He said Section 9 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967 was not labour-friendly, as it allowed any application to form a union to be automatically resolved if the application was not recognised by the employers in 14 days.
As such, the MTUC urged amendments to the law, with both labour and employers being weighed equally, whereby a union will be automatically recognised if an employer fails to respond to an application within a given period.
It also called for secret ballots during union elections to be announced immediately to the unions, instead of making them wait for a letter from the ministry, which could take two to three months.
The congress also reiterated its call for minimum wage of RM900 and retirement age of 60 to be standardised for all companies, regardless of the location and industry, from Jan 1, 2014.- Malaysiakini, 13/12/2013, MTUC protests 'non-labour friendly' ministry
Utusan Online Report
Kerajaan digesa campur tangan
PUTRAJAYA 12 Dis. - Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) menggesa kerajaan campur tangan dalam isu pemindahan kakitangan Bank Hong Leong Bhd. ke beberapa negeri yang dibuat tanpa persetujuan dan rundingan antara majikan dengan pekerja.
SEBAHAGIAN daripada 300 ahli MTUC dan NUBE mengadakan Piket MTUC di hadapan Kompleks D, Putrajaya, semalam. - UTUSAN/Zaki Amiruddin
Presidennya, Mohd. Khalid Atan berkata, tindakan tersebut bukan sahaja memberi tekanan emosi dan perasaan kepada pekerja tersebut, malah kemungkinan besar semua 50 pekerja yang terlibat itu bakal diambil tindakan tegas termasuk dipecat jika tidak akur pada arahan tersebut.
Beliau berkata, pihaknya membantah tindakan itu kerana memberi implikasi besar kepada nasib pekerja dan keluarga masing-masing berikutan rata-rata yang dipindahkan itu merupakan kakitangan bawahan dan tidak mampu menampung kos kehidupan di bandar.
"Kita mengecam tindakan kejam terhadap 50 pekerja Bank Hong Leong ini yang dihantar tanpa persetujuan ke Pulau Pinang, Johor dan Kuala Lumpur dengan alasan untuk memusatkan operasi syarikat.
"Lebih kejam majikan mereka juga bertindak keterlaluan apabila tidak membenarkan pekerja kembali bekerja dan menandatangani kehadiran di tempat lama serta mengambil cuti tahunan," katanya kepada pemberita semasa mengetuai Piket MTUC di hadapan Kompleks D, di sini hari ini.
Piket yang bermula pukul 3 petang itu turut dihadiri kira-kira 300 pekerja yang mewakili MTUC dan Kesatuan Kebangsaan Pekerja-Pekerja Bank (NUBE).
Menurut Mohd. Khalid, lebih dikesalkan bank terbabit turut bertindak zalim apabila tidak membenarkan pekerjanya menggunakan tandas, surau dan tidak boleh menunaikan solat.
Katanya, laporan rasmi telah diserahkan kepada pihak Kementerian Sumber Manusia tetapi sehingga kini tiada maklum balas dan tindakan diambil bagi menjaga kebajikan pekerja tersebut.
Dalam pada itu, beliau turut menggesa kerajaan membatalkan penubuhan Kesatuan Pekerja Bukan Eksekutif Maybank (Mayneu) dan meminta menteri berkenaan menggunakan Seksyen 71A Akta Kesatuan Sekerja 1959 untuk membatalkan penubuhannya.
"Kita juga minta pihak kementerian melihat semula isu kepimpinan kesatuan pekerja yang dibuang kerja kerana menjalankan tanggungjawab mengikut undang-undang, isu pelaksanaan gaji minimum tanpa diskriminasi serta tidak dicampur dengan elaun lain.
"Kerajaan juga digesa melaksanakan had umur persaraan swasta kepada 60 tahun tanpa sebarang pengecualian dan bertindak tegas menghentikan pengambilan pekerja oleh syarikat pembekal," katanya.
Sementara itu, Mohd. Khalid berkata, pihaknya mendesak kerajaan supaya mendengar keluhan pekerja yang tertindas itu atau berhadapan dengan piket yang lebih besar di seluruh negara. - Utusan Online, 13/12/2013, Kerajaan digesa campur tangan
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