Malaysia unions demand government action over widespread union-busting

Protesters from NUTEAIW, PPPMEU, the EIEU Coalition and NUTGFLP submitted a memorandum to the political secretary of the Minister of Human Resources, Kevin Yii, as well as two members of parliament. The memorandum detailed alleged acts of union-busting at XSD International Paper, Flextronics Malaysia, HICOM, Texas Instruments Malaysia, Nexperia and General Aluminium.

The unions criticised what they described as prolonged inaction by the Industrial relations department despite multiple complaints. Several cases, including those involving HICOM and General Aluminium, have reportedly seen no remedies after ten years.

Allegations of intimidation and employer interference in cases at Flextronics and XSD have also not resulted in prosecution, despite unions asserting that strong evidence was provided.

IndustriALL affiliates outlined four key demands:

• Establish a high-level taskforce to investigate all union-busting cases
• Enforce the Industrial Relations Act and prosecute employers who engage in union-busting
• Reform laws and regulations to restrict employers from engaging in such practices
• Ensure that collective bargaining begins within 60 days of a secret ballot victory

IndustriALL Malaysia council secretary Gopal Kishnam Nadesan said:

"We are very disappointed that the said union-busting cases have not been handled fairly and professionally by the authorities in the past 12 years. We urge the government to respect the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining of workers. Stop siding with employers and oppressing trade unions!"

IndustriALL regional secretary for South East Asia Ramon Certeza added:

"As a state party to the ILO Convention 98 on Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, the Malaysian government is obliged to provide adequate protection to workers suffering from anti-union discrimination. I urge the government to engage with our affiliates and resolve the disputes amicably."