Thursday, September 18, 2014

MALAYSIA:::MTUC against 24/7 work hours


Pekerja-300x202KUCHING: The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) Sarawak  is wondering whether Sarawak will soon witness the emergence of 24-hour massage parlours, pubs, and “perhaps tuition centres to spot UPSR questions”.
Its concern comes in the wake of reports that a new supermarket mall, within the jurisdiction of the Padawan Municipal Council, will operate around the clock.
“Please don’t use development as an excuse,” said MTUC Secretary Andrew Lo in a statement expressing the union’s objections. “This will lead to an adverse quality of life.”

MALAYSIA:::Have comprehensive policy to protect rights of migrant workers, govt told

Construction Workers Silhouette

Malaysian Trades Union Congress president Mohd Khalid Atan says that most migrant workers, especially those from less developed countries such as Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand, have suffered abuse from their employers who took advantage of their desperation. — File pic
The government must come up with a comprehensive policy for the hiring of foreign workers to safeguard their rights and avoid them from being mistreated by their employees.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Mohd Khalid Atan said this in response to the recently published study conducted by Verite, an international labour rights group funded by the US Department of Labour.

MALAYSIA:: No EPF payment, 249 directors can’t leave the country


Errant employers were fined RM162,200 by the courts
EDT  KwspKUALA LUMPUR: A total of 249 names of company directors have been submitted to the Immigration Department to prevent them from leaving the country for not settling their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution arrears.
In a statement today, EPF said the names submitted was for the second quarter of the year.
Head of Corporate Affairs Nik Affendi Jaafar said the EPF would not hesitate to take firm action against employers and company directors who failed to remit their employees’ monthly EPF contributions.

Sweden welcomes trade unionist as prime minister

Former president of Swedish union IF Metall Stefan Löfven is set to become the next prime minister of Sweden. As leader of the social democrats Stefan Löfven saw his party win the national elections on 14 September.

Stefan Löfven, Sweden's next prime minister.
The election results mean a return to a socialist government after eight years of conservative rule in Sweden.
A welder by trade, Löfven rose from the ranks of membership of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate IF Metall to become president of one of Sweden’s largest trade unions.  He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Metal Workers’ Federation (IMF).
In the opening speech at IndustriALL’s founding congress in Copenhagen 2012, Stefan Löfven said:
“Wherever there is a political discussion, workers’ voice should be heard and respected. I’m still one of you, I’ll always be.”

Malaysia among the worst for rights of workers


Malaysia is ranked among the worst countries in the world to work in, according to the recently released International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index.

MALAYSIA:::KTMB continues witch- hunt, sacks more unionists


The witch-hunt against members of the Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya (RUM) continues with the sacking of seven more members over the past week, bringing the total to 18 persons.
The union’s president Abdul Razak Md Hassan told Malaysiakiniyesterday that three of these were branch committee members and the other four are ordinary members.
He reiterated that the sackings are unfair because the union members were only conducting legitimate union activities, and urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai to intervene.
“We hope Liow and the prime minister intervene immediately because they are in a position to make an immediate decision to stop this oppressive action.

Cambodia: Thousands of garment workers take action

Global unions joined thousands of garment workers in Cambodia today in an international day of action to demand an increase in the minimum wage from US$100 to US$177 per month.

MALAYSIA:::'Forced labor' rife in Malaysian electronics factories:

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Nearly a third of some 350,000 workers in Malaysia's electronics industry - a crucial link in the international consumer supply chain - suffer from conditions of modern-day slavery such as debt bondage, according to a study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The survey by Verite, an international labor rights group, found that abuse of workers' rights - particularly the tens of thousands from low-wage countries like Nepal, Myanmar and Indonesia - was rife in a $75 billion sector that is a mainstay of the Southeast Asian country's export-driven economy.