Use Of Manpower Contractors Aimed At Protecting Workers' Rights

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The government's move of creating manpower contractors to provide workers for employers under the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2011, is aimed at protecting workers' rights. Human Resources Minister Dr S. Subramaniam said it was not to institutionalise the system. "As a control mechanism, the government through Section 2A of the Employment Act 1955 will formulate regulations specifically to list out the types of work now allowed through the hiring of manpower contractors to ensure the workers' welfare would be protected and to avoid manipulation by any quarters. "This matter has been discussed with employers and workers' unions, and the feedback has been positive," he said after a dinner function with media representatives, here, on Monday night. Dr Subramaniam said the employers' representatives had in fact admitted that improvements were necessary to prevent malpractices by irresponsible quarters. He said workers salaried through the manpower contractors could also join the workers' union at their workplace as there was no legal provision to prevent them from doing so. "At the same time, the workers are also bound by the collective agreement agreed upon by the employer and union they have joined." For example, he said, there was agreement between the Malayan Agricultural Producers Association (MAPA) and National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) to cover workers supplied by the manpower contractors. "For this, the proposed amendment is management transformation to protect the rights and welfare of the workers and does not at all adversely affect the security of tenure or the future activities of workers' unions in this country." Dr Subramaniam said the bill also provided benefits such as more maternity leave for women workers regardless of the wage limit, tackling sexual harassment, payment of wages through bank accounts, Hari Malaysia as compulsory public holiday and extending the Employment Act coverage to those workers earning RM2,000 monthly compared to RM1,500 previously. (US$1=RM3.06) On the picket planned by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) at 16 locations nationwide on Nov 3 in protest against the amendments to the Employment Act 1955, he said the MTUC should follow the regulations and conduct the protest peacefully. The bill was passed in the Lower House of Parliament on Oct 6. -- BERNAMA