THE Government should enact laws to strengthen union movements in Malaysia and re-establish the tripartite partnership between unions, employers and the State, said DAP.
“With a strong union infrastructure and capacity, employers and the Government can work hand-in-hand with union members and workers to introduce policies which can increase the well-being, wages and productivity of workers across the board.
“For example, following the minimum wage increase to RM1,500 effective today, other labour market reforms and Government policy enhancements should also take place so that employers and employees can benefit from the economic recovery together,” said its secretary general Anthony Loke in his Labour Day message.
On that note, Loke said the role of unions in advocating for workers’ rights is important in any country and he was grateful for their work in protecting the working class over the years.
However, he was concerned that the level of unionisation in Malaysia was very low, only at 6%, excluding the civil servants.
“With the move towards more jobs in the service sector, in the gig economy and smaller companies, I urge our unions to be flexible and creative in their approach towards attracting membership and reaching out to the younger generation,” the former transport minister added.
With Malaysia ratifying the International Labour Organization Protocol 2014 (ILO P29) on March 21, Loke lauded the move as it would compel the Government to institute reforms to prevent, criminalise and prosecute those involved in forced labour practises.
He mentioned that progressive labour policies are the hallmark of a truly developed nation, a standard which Malaysia should strive to meet.
“I want to highlight the recurrent cases of vulnerable Malaysian youths being lured by criminal syndicates through targeted online advertisement to sign up as workers in online scams under forced labour condition.
“According to reports, thousands of workers, Malaysians included, are kept working allegedly in a ‘lawless’ frontier at the Thai – Myanmar border for online gambling and scamming syndicates.
“Hence, I call upon the Government to throw the book against perpetrators of forced labour and fraudulent online ads targeting at job-searching young workers,” Loke mentioned.
Work with our neighbours
To prevent workers from falling prey to these criminals, the DAP leader urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), police and other enforcement agencies to step in and crackdown on the syndicates.
“We must work with Facebook and Google to eradicate the scourge from the source and charge the perpetrators in court. Work with authorities in our neighbouring countries as well to stop the criminals and bring the Malaysian workers back to safety with their families.”
Loke remarked: “The rights of workers, both Malaysians and non-Malaysians, inside and outside Malaysia need to be protected at all times.” — May 1, 2022
