Malaysian Trades Union Congress July-August 2015

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 man-

tap 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 diberhen-

tikan. 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 mengada-

kan tabung pemberhentian masih belum dilaksanakan apatah lagi dengan insuran

perlindungan pemberhentian kerja juga lama tertangguh. MTUC tidak dapat nafi-

kan bahawa pengenalan GST 6% juga mempunyai pengaruh secara tidak langsung

terhadap peningkatan kos sara hidup secara keseluruhan.

N Gopal Kishnam, Setiausaha Agung

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

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July -August 2015 MTUC

AKTIVITI AKTIVITI AKTIVITI AKTIVITI

BAHAGIAN MTUCBAHAGIAN MTUCBAHAGIAN MTUCBAHAGIAN MTUC

Majlis Berbuka Puasa bersama Belia MTUC- Memupuk 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 si-ratulrahim 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

Clamping Down On Media Is Not

the Way Forward For a

Democratic Society

MTUC strongly condemn the decision of the Minis-try 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 ex-pose any suspected wrong doing, be it by individu-al or people in power. The suspension of the media publication only reflects the decrease in the freedom of Infor-mation. 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 exten-sively 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 sus-pected of any false reporting, suspension is not the solution as it seen as a form of punishment before an investigation is complete and consequently af-fecting the rights of 300 workers losing their 3 months earning. MTUC is of the view that the Edge Publi-cation has only acted within its democratic bounda-ries. 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

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July-August 2015 MTUC

MTUC disagree-Increasing

Public transport fares

A.Balasubramaniam

Timbalan Setiausaha Agung MTUC

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July-August 2 015 MTUC

Statistik Mahkamah 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 7

Kes Pertikaian Perusahaan

Sumber : Jabatan Perhubungan Perusahaan Malaysia, Kementerian Sumber Manusia

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July August 2015-MTUC

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

Representasi Pemulihan Kerja

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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 Re-port (Star, 10/7/2015). The situation of workers and trade unions, with particular reference to migrant workers remain the same, if not has worsened. The work environment is becoming even more precari-ous, enabling easier exploitation of workers; and a di-minishing of workers and trade union rights. Workers in Malaysia who have been long enjoying reg-ular employment until retirement find themselves being compelled or forced by employers into more precari-ous forms of employment like short-term contracts. Many even end up working in a workplace not as employ-ees but as workers of some third party (the Contractor of Labour). This denies these outsourced workers the right to join existing trade unions representing employees at the workplace, or to enjoy the additional rights and benefits that is contained in Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA). It also weakens existing Unions and diminishes union bar-gaining power for better rights. Migrant workers continue to be bonded because many employers are still wrongly holding on to passports and work passes/visas/permits. Whenever Migrant worker want to seek redress in Court, they are often threaten with arrest and deportation by the mere fact that employers are holding on to the passport. When workers claim their rights through existing legal avenues, many employers simply terminate their work-ers, and for migrant workers this also mean the loss of abil-ity to stay in Malaysia which is a requirement in law if they want to pursue their claims for justice. The binding of mi-grant workers just to one employer also makes exploi-tation easier. In our outreach work, we have notice that in certain service sectors such as restaurant and security industries workers are compelled to work long hours and are only paid their basic salaries. When migrants assert their claims, more often they are threaten with theft or reports to the en-forcement.

Though Migrant workers enjoys the same right as Malaysi-an 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 exploi-tative work condition. Further, being tied to the conditions of the work permit, migrant workers are reluctant to pursue their redress as losing their jobs means having to re-turn home with huge debts. At the outset, migrants begin work in a vulnerable situation. MTUC is most concerned that this current moves by the US government maybe to simply facilitate Malaysias signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), which sadly is also alleged to contain an Inves-tor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions. These ISDS clauses have been seen to be a hurdle to minimum wage increases, improving standards of workplace safety, better worker rights and human rights. Workers in Malaysia should rightfully have received a high-er minimum wage as of 1st January 2015, as it was 2 years since they first enjoyed minimum wages on 1/1/2013. The law stipulates that review of minimum wage rates need to be done at least every 2 years, which naturally would have meant a higher minimum wage for workers. MTUC notes that for raising minimum wages, Egypt sued by Veolia Proprete, a French multinational using an ISDS provision in a trade agreement. We are, of course concerned, that after Malaysia signs the TPPA, em-ployers will resist expending monies to improve working conditions and even wages for the priority of businesses and investor is often just profits. In February 2015, Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro has visited Malaysia on the invitation by Ma-laysian Government. The Special Rapporteur has ex-pressed her concerns particularly in the neglect of identify-ing victims of Force Labour and the restrictive Immigration policies that focus on deportation rather than identifying and assisting victims of trafficking. She has given numbers of recommendation to the Malaysian Government. Sadly, none of her recommendation till to date has been taken into consideration.

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July-August 2015 MTUC

PEKERJA ASINGPEKERJA ASINGPEKERJA ASINGPEKERJA ASING

MTUC disagree with the deal to bring in

more migrant workers.

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AKTIVITI MTUC

July-August 2015 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 peg-awai 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.