KUALA LUMPUR – Instead of lodging reports to “intimidate” workers’ unions, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan should engage them, said the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).
MTUC president Datuk Halim Mansor expressed shock and disappointment over Saravanan’s decision to lodge a police report against National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) general secretary J. Solomon.
Halim said MTUC is flabbergasted by the minister’s move at a time when the ministry should be seeking the help of unions, and not going to police to shield itself from legitimate criticism.
“In my 40 years of being a union leader at the highest levels, I have issued thousands of media statements questioning government actions and the implementation of labour laws that have made life difficult for the poor workers. I have also agreed with some of them and supported them accordingly. Others have been honest and hard-hitting, as they needed to be.
“For the record, I have handled labour issues under nearly 10 human resources ministers, and none of them resorted to lodging reports against me for statements I made in defence of workers,” he said in a statement today.
Solomon, on behalf of NUBE, was only carrying out his duty of speaking up for workers at the mercy of big employers, said Halim.
“He wanted the relaxation of the implementation of the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446) to be reviewed. If this is wrong, I must say the government has descended to a very low level.”
With the number of workplace Covid-19 clusters rising, he said, unions have every right to bring up issues concerning workers, especially lowly paid ones, who depend on their employers for reasonably clean and comfortable housing.
“This is following the minister’s announcement in April that the enforcement of Act 446 rules governing workers’ housing standards will be postponed until the end of the year, following a request from the manufacturing sector for more time in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with his (Solomon’s) proposal, and to lodge a report for criminal defamation only shows that the minister is intolerant, something that does not augur well for a Malaysian workforce that is already under severe stress because of the pandemic.”
Wondering whether Saravanan is being told by his advisers about the exact sentiments of workers on the ground, Halim said the minister’s lodging of a report against a senior and hardworking trade union leader has only caused further upset to an already angry workforce.
“This action will create more resentment against the government, obviously.”
As such, he called on the prime minister to urge Saravanan and other cabinet members to listen to unions’ views instead of cutting them off with attempts to intimidate, such as by going to police.
“The prime minister must know that the action of his ministers will have a direct bearing on how much anger or hatred it will build against the government.
“No one should underestimate the suffering of workers and the anger that is building up on the ground.”
Halim urged Saravanan to withdraw the report against Solomon and instead mend their relationship.
All Saravanan should do is call us up when he is not happy with our views, so that we can discuss the matter and make lives better for workers. He must come down from his ivory tower and see what is happening on the ground. It is really bad, to be honest.”
MTUC’s comments come after police called up Solomon following Saravanan’s report against him for alleged slander.
The NUBE general secretary had called out Saravanan’s apparent failure to protect the labour force, following the suspension of Act 446’s enforcement.
Solomon was also critical of the minister’s announcement on suspending the regulation until year-end, citing it as among the main reasons for the spike in Covid-19 infections. – The Vibes, May 20, 2021
