When in Malaysia, it looks as if workers have been 'brainwashed' into believing that strike and industrial actions is not the 'correct' way forward in resolving worker-employer disputes... Workers in other countries continue to use strike action to effectively struggle for their rights but in Malaysia, we hardly remember when was the last worker strike...
The laws have been amended/enacted to really make it very very difficult for Malaysian workers/unions to strike - in fact, Malaysia wants workers and unions to just lodge complaints with the government ...
So, even when Union leaders are 'wrongfully terminated', we do not even see much protest from fellow workers at the same workplace....Employers can continue to violate worker rights....and workers just lodge complaints with the government...
This system works very well for employers ... no risk of disruption of profits... no risk of even 'bad publicity'....for after all, the lodge the complaint - try to resolve the situation amicably ... if cannot refer to court is all a rather 'secret' process which media is also not interested to cover... and it takes a long time.... and people forget the victims and the violations... the injustice and violation of rights just get swept under the carpet...
After a while, it becomes the norm....and maybe today Malaysian Unions and workers have really forgotten how to strike.... Historically, strike has been the most effective weapon of workers and trade unions to get better rights and working conditions...
National teachers' strike: Schools shut across Wales
NUT Cymru says teachers are being asked to work longer and pay more into their pensions
Almost half of schools in Wales have been closed or partially shut after teachers went on strike for the day.
Teachers in the NUT union in Wales and England were protesting against the UK government's changes to pay and pension terms.
Despite the Welsh government having power over education in Wales, pay is controlled by the UK government.
The UK government criticised the strike, saying it caused disruption for children and parents.
More than 13,000 teachers from hundreds of schools across Wales took part in the action.
Some 500 Welsh schools were partially closed and more than 300 completely shut.
While some schools were forced to
close completely, most secondary schools were open for pupils studying
for their GCSEs and A-levels.
The strike was called after a row over a new
performance-related pay structure and tougher pension package planned by
the UK government.
Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that introducing performance related pay would be a way of raising teaching standards.
The idea is designed to bring automatic pay rises to an end,
with schools given the flexibility to offer higher salaries to their
best teachers.
But the fear is, with budgets so tight, it would be difficult
to reward the best teachers without penalising those who are
struggling.
An NUT Cymru rally outside the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff Bay on Wednesday morning attracted up to 300 people.
The union's Wales secretary David Evans, speaking from the
rally, told the BBC: "Teachers are being asked to pay more into their
pensions and are being asked to work longer.
"So it's pay more, work longer, receive less."
David Evans, NUT Cymru secretary, says parents understand it is a "fight for education"
Earlier, he had said that nobody could accuse the union of
taking strike action lightly, adding previous planned action had been
called off twice.
"Unfortunately teachers across Wales really do feel as if they are left with little alternative," he said.
"In many cases they are not simply fighting for a fair deal
for teachers, opposing the unfair pay and pension's raids they have
faced, but are standing up for the very nature of education services on
offer in our communities.
"No teacher wants to strike.
"The individuals doing so will be sacrificing a day's pay,
but it is a decision based on securing the long-term sustainability of
public education in Wales and the UK."
Teachers were taking part in a rally outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay
The other big teaching union, the NASUWT, has walked out
alongside the NUT in the last two national strikes but did not strike on
Wednesday.
The UK government said the strike action was damaging children's education and was unpopular with parents.
A spokesperson for the UK government's Department of
Education said: "Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is
pressing ahead with strikes over the government's measures to let heads
pay good teachers more.
"They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and talks have been taking place weekly. - BBC News, 26/3/2014, National teachers' strike: Schools shut across Wales
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