July-August 2015

Malaysian Trades Union Congress

MTUC/ILO National Workshop for Union Leaders & Youth members on Wage Policy & Collective Bargaining, 17-18 Sept 2015 Summit Subang Jaya

Pemberhentian Kerja yang merunsingkan

MTUC prihatin terhadap persekitaran ekonomi yang melanda negara. Phenomena
ketidaktentuan terus memberi kesan yang buruk kepada kaum pekerja kerana
negara kita masih belum mempunyai suatu jaringan keselamatan sosial yang mantap bagi melindungi kaum pekerja yang menerima pendapatan rendah.
Walaupun kerajaan telah memperakui gaji minima RM900 namun masih terdapat
syarikat dan majikan yang enggan mematuhinya apatah lagi dengan peningkatan
kos sara hidup akibat peningkatan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan susulan
dari pengenalan GST 6%. Kerajaan masih enggan mengkaji kesan sampingan dari
pengenalan GST 6% pada bulan April 2015 ini terhadap isi rumah yang kurang
mampu menghadapinya.
Kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh MEF pada 20 Julai 2015 Grim Job Market dan
kenyataan Menteri Sumber Manusia pada 24 Julai 2015 Retrenchment Of 10,000
Workers Normal In Stable, Dynamic Labour Market - Riot dalam berita bernama
tidak dapat memberi gambaran sebenar pekerja yang dibuang kerja dan diberhentikan. MTUC pasti angka sebenar adalah lebih tinggi dan banyak kes yang tidak
dilaporkan terutama di kawasan luar bandar dan pingir bandar.
Walaupun peratusan pemberhentian kerja yang dilaporkan hanyalah 3% namun
kerajaan harus memikirkan jalan yang wajar untuk menangani permasalahan
pekerja yang dibuang dan diberhentikan, kerana cadangan MTUC untuk mengadakan tabung pemberhentian masih belum dilaksanakan apatah lagi dengan insuran
perlindungan pemberhentian kerja juga lama tertangguh. MTUC tidak dapat nafikan bahawa pengenalan GST 6% juga mempunyai pengaruh secara tidak langsung
terhadap peningkatan kos sara hidup secara keseluruhan.
N Gopal Kishnam, Setiausaha Agung

July -August 2015 MTUC

AKTIVITI

Clamping Down On Media Is Not

the Way Forward For a

BAHAGIAN MTUC

Democratic Society

Majlis Berbuka Puasa bersama Belia MTUCMemupuk Semangat Muafakat Kearah

Pembangunan Modal Insan
12 Julai 2015 - bertempat di Bukit Jalil Golf & Country
Resort, Jawatankuasa Belia Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja
Malaysia telah mengadakan Majlis Berbuka Puasa yang
mana ianya bertujuan mengeratkan lagi hubungan siratulrahim antara Belia-Belia Kesatuan Gabungan
dibawah Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia bagi
memupuk semangat muhibbah serta mengamalkan sikap
muafakat dan bekerjasama di antara satu sama lain bagi
menyumbang kepada pembangunan modal insan dan
seterusnya membawa kepada kebaikan bersama. Bak
kata pepatah MUAFAKAT MEMBAWA BERKAT.
Majlis ini juga merupakan salah satu aktiviti Belia
sepanjang Kalendar 2015. Belia yang hadir beserta
keluarga dan anak-anak mereka merupakan mereka
yang terdiri dari pelbagai Kesatuan Gabungan dibawah
Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia.
dilaporkan,
Syamsul Azwan Mustar
Setiausaha, Jawatankuasa Belia MTUC

MTUC strongly condemn the decision of the Ministry to suspend the publication of Edge for 3
months. MTUC also condemns any restriction on
press freedom. It is a duty of any journalist to expose any suspected wrong doing, be it by individual or people in power.
The suspension of the media publication
only reflects the decrease in the freedom of Information. Every workman has a right to know how
public funds are being utilised for the benefit of the
public as a whole.
The Edges publication has done nothing
more than alerting the public based on evidence
obtained by them that there are high probabilities
of misuse of public fund.
Instead of investigating on the report and
documents obtained by Edge, the Publication is
immediately slapped with suspension order.
Suspension based on one articles has
further affected the rights of about 300 workers
covering other news.
Noticing that the Edge has gone extensively to explain their findings, it only indicates that
they are more willing to cooperate and assist in
any investigation. In any event, if the media is suspected of any false reporting, suspension is not the
solution as it seen as a form of punishment before
an investigation is complete and consequently affecting the rights of 300 workers losing their 3
months earning.
MTUC is of the view that the Edge Publication has only acted within its democratic boundaries. The suspension is premature and without any
evidence in support to show otherwise.
Thus, we urge the Ministry to re-examine
the suspension order and lift its band until at least
the investigation on the Media is completed.
Clamping down on media is not the way forward
for a democratic society.
Press statement MTUC 27 July 2015

July-August 2015 MTUC

MTUC disagree-Increasing
Public transport fares

A.Balasubramaniam
Timbalan Setiausaha Agung MTUC

July-August 2 015 MTUC

Statistik Mahkamah Perusahaan

Kes Pertikaian Perusahaan
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Kes Yang
dikendalikan

505

473

410

473

359

Dirujuk ke
Mahkamah

80

46

88

143

178

Tidak dirujuk ke
Mahkamah

30

46

22

30

Sumber : Jabatan Perhubungan Perusahaan Malaysia, Kementerian Sumber Manusia

July August 2015-MTUC

Representasi Pemulihan Kerja

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Kes Yang
dikendalikan

6944

6111

5382

5489

2628

Dirujuk ke
Mahkamah

1671

1045

1587

1562

600

Tidak dirujuk ke
Mahkamah

1182

1209

989

866

188

July -August 2015 MTUC

Are US State Department and TPP endorsing

Force Labour Pratices In Malaysia?
13 July 2015
Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC) is shocked to the
news that Malaysia may be upgraded to Tier 2 Status in the
upcoming US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report (Star, 10/7/2015). The situation of workers and trade
unions, with particular reference to migrant workers remain
the same, if not has worsened.

Though Migrant workers enjoys the same right as Malaysian workers in accessing Labour redress but the mere fact
their stay in the country is determined by Immigration with
no alternative employment, makes their cases inaccessible.

Exorbitant recruitment fees paid by workers forces she/

he to be bonded to her/his employment despite the exploitative work condition. Further, being tied to the conditions of
The work environment is becoming even more precari- the work permit, migrant workers are reluctant to pursue
ous, enabling easier exploitation of workers; and a di- their redress as losing their jobs means having to return home with huge debts. At the outset, migrants begin
minishing of workers and trade union rights.
work in a vulnerable situation.
Workers in Malaysia who have been long enjoying regular employment until retirement find themselves being MTUC is most concerned that this current moves by the
compelled or forced by employers into more precari- US government maybe to simply facilitate Malaysias
ous forms of employment like short-term contracts. signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement
Many even end up working in a workplace not as employ- (TPPA), which sadly is also alleged to contain an Invesees but as workers of some third party (the Contractor of tor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions. These
Labour). This denies these outsourced workers the right ISDS clauses have been seen to be a hurdle to minimum
to join existing trade unions representing employees at the wage increases, improving standards of workplace safety,
workplace, or to enjoy the additional rights and benefits that better worker rights and human rights.
is contained in Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA). It
also weakens existing Unions and diminishes union bar- Workers in Malaysia should rightfully have received a higher minimum wage as of 1st January 2015, as it was 2 years
gaining power for better rights.
since they first enjoyed minimum wages on 1/1/2013. The
Migrant workers continue to be bonded because many law stipulates that review of minimum wage rates need to
employers are still wrongly holding on to passports and be done at least every 2 years, which naturally would have
work passes/visas/permits. Whenever Migrant worker want meant a higher minimum wage for workers.
to seek redress in Court, they are often threaten with arrest
and deportation by the mere fact that employers are holding MTUC notes that for raising minimum wages, Egypt
sued by Veolia Proprete, a French multinational using
on to the passport.
an ISDS provision in a trade agreement. We are, of
When workers claim their rights through existing legal course concerned, that after Malaysia signs the TPPA, emavenues, many employers simply terminate their work- ployers will resist expending monies to improve working
ers, and for migrant workers this also mean the loss of abil- conditions and even wages for the priority of businesses
ity to stay in Malaysia which is a requirement in law if they and investor is often just profits.
want to pursue their claims for justice. The binding of migrant workers just to one employer also makes exploi- In February 2015, Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in
persons, especially women and children, Maria Grazia
tation easier.
Giammarinaro has visited Malaysia on the invitation by MaIn our outreach work, we have notice that in certain service laysian Government. The Special Rapporteur has exsectors such as restaurant and security industries workers pressed her concerns particularly in the neglect of identifyare compelled to work long hours and are only paid ing victims of Force Labour and the restrictive Immigration
their basic salaries. When migrants assert their claims, policies that focus on deportation rather than identifying and
more often they are threaten with theft or reports to the en- assisting victims of trafficking. She has given numbers of
recommendation to the Malaysian Government. Sadly,
forcement.
none of her recommendation till to date has been taken
into consideration.
6

July-August 2015 MTUC

PEKERJA ASING
MTUC disagree
with the deal
to bring in
more migrant
workers.

July-August 2015 MTUC

AKTIVITI MTUC
Kursus tiga hari Pengendalian Rungutan dan Siasatan Dalaman, telah berlangsung di Pusat latihan MTUC
induk dari 4hb-6hb Ogos 2015. Seramai 30 peserta telah mengambil bahagian dari pelbagai kesatuan sekerja.
Antara tajuk yang diutarakan ialah cabaran kesatuan sekerja, tindakan disiplin, kekilanan, tanggungjawab pegawai kesatuan dalam pengendalian dan penyelesaian rungutan ahli.

Wisma MTUC 10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-80242953 Fax:03-80243225
website : www.mtuc.org.my; email:mtucgeneral @gmail.com / disediakan oleh: Sdri.R.Rajeswari, Setiausaha Penyelidikan
disahkan dan disemak : Sdra. N. Gopal Kishnam Setiausaha Agung.
8