MENTERI JANGAN TOLAK KES KEPADA JABATAN BURUH

22 Februari  2011- Kementerian Sumber Manusia , Putrajaya

Hari ini para pekerja kilang CHG Plywood telah dijemput untuk satu mesyuarat dengan Jabatan Tenaga kerja di Ibupejabat Jabatan itu di Putrajaya. Mesyuarat ini telah dipengerusikan oleh Encik Mohd Jeffrey Joakim, Timbalan Ketua Pengarah 1 dan turut dihadiri oleh Peguam JTB dan Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Bangi. Mesyuarat ini dipanggil ekoran satu surat keras oleh bekas pekerja kepada Menteri Sumber manusia pada bulan Disember 2010 dan februari 2011.Para pekerja bertanyakan komitmen Menteri Sumber Manusia kerana gagal melaksanakan skim Tabung pemberhentian kerja. Satu memorandum juga telah dihantar pada 1 Julai 2010.Walaupun pekerja menang dalam kertas RM 244, 016.65 manakala pihak Syarikat juga setuju membayar RM 80,033.28 iaitu 35% daripada jumlah pokok tetapi sehingga kini, tiada satu sen pun yang didapati oleh para pekerja.Dalam mesyauarat hari ini, Setiausaha Agung PSM Sdr S.Arutchelvan yang mengiringi para bekas pekerja ini membidas sikap Menteri Sumber Manusia kerana menolak kes kepada JTK. Tuntutan pekerja adalah isu tabung pemberhentian kerja dimana ia memerlukan komitmen Menteri dan tidak kena mengena dengan JTK.

Letchuman – pemimpim pekerja juga berkata bahawa mereka berasa bosan dengan mesyauarat tetapi tiada tindakan penyelesaian dan mahu kerajaan campurtangan dan selesaikan isu ini.

Timbalan Pengarah Jeffrey setuju dan berkata pihaknya akan menghantar nota makluman kepada Menteri dan selain daripada itu melihat option Relief Fund. Mereka juga turut berkata bahawa tangan mereka terikat kerana proses perundangan.

Arutchelvan berkata yang perlu adalah komitmen politik dan kesungguhan menyelesaikan isu ini. Jeffrey setuju untuk mengambil langkah pro-aktif membantu pekerja dan mengutarakan keluhan pekerja kepada Menteri Sumber Manusia. Turut hadir adalah PA Menteri Encik Vijayamohan.

MTUC: Only 9pc of Malaysian workers unionised

KUALA LUMPUR: A mere nine per cent of the nation’s 11 million workers are unionised and this figure is far from that of nations like Japan, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

A total 18 per cent of workers in Singapore are in trade unions while the figure stands at 21 per cent and 29 per cent for Japan and the United Kingdom, respectively.

“This percentage has never gone up and has been at the same level for the past few decades. We still face a lot of challenges in forming unions, andc ompared to many Asian countries, we are still far down,” Malaysian Trades UnionCongress (MTUC) vice-president  A. Balasubramaniam told Bernama.

He cautioned that the number of workers joining trade unions was on the decline while the population and the opportunities for work are on a steadyrise.

“The Human Resources Ministry needs to keep an eye on the challenges of forming trade unions in this country. The ministry needs to promote unions moreto avert the decline in the number of union members,” he said in an interview.

Balasubramaniam said the government, especially the ministry, must recognise the need for workers to be unionised as this is not only good for workers but also employers.

“Once a company is formed and has more than a number of workers, the workers should be allowed to form auto unions. This means the union is automatically formed without having to get the permission of the employer,” he added.   He urged the Human Resource Ministry to take proactive steps in encouraging effective unionism in the country

“There is a need to amend the present acts and restrictions placed against the formation of unions. We need to look at the issue holistically and not in anarrow-minded manner,” he said.  He claimed that some Malaysian employers practise an “anti-union” mentality because of the perception that a union means trouble for them.

“Without trade unions, they have control over workers. Workers can’t fightback to safeguard their rights. There are many issues like salary, minimum wage… preference for foreign workers is just the tip of the iceberg,” he added.  He said some unions are fully controlled by employers who hold important union positions.   “In this scenario, even though the union membership increases, its effectiveness declines because the top office bearers are the management,” headded.

Balasubramaniam said employers should treat trade unions as their partners in the development of their companies rather than looking at workers and unions as their enemy.  — Bernama