MTUC: What’s holding up amendments to labour law?

KUCHING: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Sarawak wants to know why amendments to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance have not been tabled in parliament this month.

“Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala had said the SLO amendment has been finalised, agreed and sent to the Human Resources Ministry,” it said.

“However, at the parliament session, only the Sabah SLO Amendment Bill was presented and this is very disappointing for the 1.4 million Sarawak workforce who have been waiting for almost a year for this, particularly female workers.”

Amendments to maternity leave from 60 days to 98 days and also paternity leave of seven days for husbands are welcome, it said.

The union added that in reducing pressures owing to the high cost of living, it is very important that the 48 hour work week is reduced to 45 hours to give employees an advantage in terms of spending time with family members.

“It thus needs to be understood why amendments to the Sarawak SLO Bill must be expedited.

“A total of 1.4 million Sarawak workforce needs an explanation, this involves the welfare and safety of the workers who are the heart of Sarawak’s economy.”

They provide unwavering support to the government, as well as to any plan to achieve the status of a developed state in Malaysia but lag behind in terms of their welfare when compared to the states in the peninsula and Sabah, it added.

Recently, Gerawat had said the SLO amendment is crucial for the well-being of workers in Sarawak.

“Our hope is that the amendments will be tabled in the forthcoming parliamentary session,” he said.

He added that once the amendments are presented and approved in parliament, there will be no need for further approval in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).