Well, looks like the President of Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC) is trying to confuse workers about the stance of MTUC...
In MTUC, it is the Secretary General who is the most powerful and the spokesperson of MTUC...Now, it looks like UMNO-BN has somehow managed to confuse the President who is trying to change the MTUC position...He may support Najib - but not MTUC and the 14 million plus workers it represents in Malaysia..
The President alleges in one of the report that Solomon was talking for NUBE not MTUC - but then, a recent report indicates that this is 'fake news' - in fact his statement was on behalf of MTUC, and on the MTUC letterhead...
Well, go and look at the MTUC's official website...
The President seems to have been 'bought over' or is an ardent Najib and BN supporter....but it is so wrong to confuse workers like this...The President speaks for himself not MTUC...
In some Organisation, the most powerful is the President - but in Trade Unions and even political parties like the DAP, the leader is the Secretary General...not the President.
MTUC URGES 14 MILLION WORKERS TO VOTE FOR CHANGE
The Malaysia Trades Union Congress (MTUC) is today calling on the 14
million workers in Malaysia to prove to the government that workers are
key to the country’s economy and should never be ignored, by voting for
Pakatan Harapan candidates in the coming 14th Malaysia General Elections
(GE14).
MTUC Secretary General J Solomon said the workers had the power to
vote out any government that is anti labour and kleptocratic because the
workers’ voice and the workers’ strength is sacred and powerful.
We want a Government to give us the equal respect in the tripartite
body so that Workers can have an equitable share in the wealth of the
nation.
Wages are low, workers are becoming poorer, living on borrowed income
and their livelihood is further crippled by surging prices of goods
with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which must
be abolished.
2.8 million households in Malaysia fall under the B40 income category
and this is a large segment of our society who are being suppressed
with poor wages and are unable to participate meaningfully in society.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of Malaysians do not have enough savings
to tide them over for more than a week without work and eighteen percent
(18%) of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members will be living just
above poverty line after retirement.
Unions are necessary to uplift the socio economy of the working class
but here in Malaysia, they are being suppressed by archaic laws with no
indication to repeal them. Our appeals to the government to reform
these laws have gone to deaf ears but when the interest of the people in
power in the government is affected such laws are introduced speedily
to protect their interest.
The Minister and the Prime Minister has failed to respond to the
appeals of the MTUC on various Workers issues. The Sabah state
government and the Federal Government refuse to even respond to the
appeal by the MTUC Division of Sabah and Head Office of the 1390 Workers
of SFI from Sipitang, Sabah who have been temporary laid off.
Job security has become an indirect cause for undue stress for
Malaysians workers as the country accelerates into industry 4.0,
unfortunately no constructive action has been taken by the Government at
the tripartite level to prepare the Malaysian Workers for the Future of
Work.
The Minister of Human Resources has failed to carry out the National
Labour Advisory Council objectively when the last NLAC was only held
half a day in the last one and a half year despite the existence of
various Workers issue to be raised and discussed.
The 3 Million job opportunities promised in the next five years in BN
manifesto seems rather ambiguous because we are not sure if it is for
national or migrant workers from China that come along with their
investors. The promises of 1.5 million job opportunities in the 11th
Malaysian plan is not fulfilled yet.
The problems of the migrant workers are caused by the lackadaisical
attitude of the government to manage it genuinely has led to various
continuous social problems.
Retrenchment of thousands of employees by irresponsible employers are not prevented by the government.
The government is also interfering in the administration of MTUC and
causing a rift in the leadership which will jeopardise the independence
administration of the Labour Centre.
Human and Workers’ Rights have been left out of the education
syllabus so students, even university graduates are not aware of their
basic human and Workers’ rights that would give them an understanding of
the values, guide them on their rights and to respect the rights others
when they enter the world of work.
Our greatest wealth is our unity in this multiracial country and we
cannot sell this rich culture for the greed of power, wealth or under
the disguise of industrial revolution 4.0.
There has to be clear separation of powers between the Parliament,
Executive and Judiciary. Right now, the separation of power and rule of
law is not clear and therefore a change is necessary to put in place
checks and balance in the governance in the best interest of the people
as we move towards a developed nation.
We as Workers, our livelihood is now being threatened and it needs
immediate action to safeguard our decent work so that our family will be
able to live a decent and meaningful life now and in the future.
Having considered all factors that has taken place in the last 1 year
five months and having seen the deteriorating condition of Workers and
Trade Union rights, as an elected Secretary General and the Chief
Executive of MTUC despite supporting the elected BN Government in the
past I am duty bound to appeal to you to change the government.
Let’s give PH an opportunity to serve Malaysians as a majority ruling
party for five years. If they do not serve the workers, we can rise
again to change them in the next five years. They have proven themselves
to be good governors for the people in the states of Penang and
Selangor.
In this way no government will be indispensable and will not
demonstrate arrogance, inconsideration and corrupt practices as they
will be reminded that they will be voted out by the population if they
do not perform responsibly.- MTUC Website
MTUC president’s statement a 'clear indication of BN interference' in union body, says Solomon
KUALA
LUMPUR (May 8): Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC)
secretary-general J Solomon has accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of
interfering with the administration of the umbrella trade union body.
This follows MTUC president Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor’s pledge of
support for BN, which came hours after Solomon had urged the country’s
14 million workers to vote for Pakatan Harapan in tomorrow’s general
election.
Solomon had made the call in a press release bearing the official
letterhead of MTUC, saying he was making the statement in his capacity
as MTUC secretary-general.
Abdul Halim, however, insisted that Solomon was making the call in
his capacity as the secretary-general of the National Union of Bank
Employees (NUBE).
He also insisted that MTUC's policy required official statements to
receive the approval of the general council and consent of the 200
unions affiliated to the umbrella body.
This is, however, disputed by Solomon in a later statement.
“The MTUC Constitution is very clear,” he said. “The
secretary-general is the only official who has the constitutional power
to make statements on behalf of MTUC.”
The MTUC president, on the other hand, has no power to issue press statements on behalf of the body, said Solomon.
“Nevertheless he has been doing so all the while ignoring the provisions of the constitution thus far,” he said.
“This only proves that BN is interfering in the administration of
MTUC through the president who is an Umno member as he claims,” Solomon
added.
In his earlier statement, Solomon urged Malaysian workers to vote for
Pakatan to remind the government that workers are key to the country's
economy and should never be ignored.- The Edge, 8/5/2018
MTUC reiterates support for BN government
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) today
maintained its support to the Barisan Nasional government, saying that
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has done a lot to uplift workers'
status in the country.
Its President Datuk Abdul Halim
Mansor said the organisation did not issue any statement urging 14
million workers in Malaysia to vote for the opposition in tomorrow's
general election as reported in some online media.
He said
MTUC secretary-general J. Solomon's statement today was made in his
capacity as National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) secretary general....New Straits Times, 8/5/2018
Remember that after PRU13 18 workers including the Pahang MTUC Chairman were terminated in Pekan by DRB HICOM subsidiaries for submitting an MTUC Memo to get contesting candidates commitment to worker and trade union rights...
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