GEORGE TOWN – For trade unions to be effective, they have to revive their collaboration with civil society groups and like-minded organisations to help address the growing expectations of the working class.
Veteran unionist K. Veeriah said such relationships were strengthened in the 1980s but over the decades, the comradeship eroded due to various circumstances, especially within the unions.
“Over the decades, I have seen the gradual erosion of the comradeship that was common among workers in the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately, the evils of race-centric politics seemed to have crept into the trade union. That, in my view, is why our relationships eroded,” he said in a statement.
In the heyday of the trade union movement, the leadership of the Malaysia Trades Union Congress (MTUC) forged a working relationship with civil society organisations such as the Consumers’ Association Of Penang, Friends of the Earth, Aliran and the Muslim Youth Movement.
Networking with political parties was the norm. Together, we called for the emancipation of the people be it workers’ rights, consumerism, environmentalism, or concerns for socio-economic conditions.
“We demanded for draconian, obnoxious policies and laws that infringe on fundamental rights be abolished. Clearly, there was a nexus between the trade union movement, civil society, and political parties for changes.
“In any attempt to seek a transformation of the working class, the trade union movement cannot isolate itself for the simple reason that transformation of society is a holistic endeavour,” said Veeriah, who is the Penang MTUC secretary.
Unfortunately, the trade union leadership seems to have adopted a holier-than-thou attitude in the matter, he added.
“Changes will never be achieved without a well-thought-out coordinated campaign mounted by all strata of civil society movements in the pursuit for changes.
“The trade union fraternity has no option but to make their choice to either stay isolated and continue to play an ineffective role or reach out to like-minded civil society organisations and political parties to endeavour, collectively, to strive for meaningful societal transformation of the predicament of the workers.” – The Vibes, December 5, 2021
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