Representatives from workers' group today lambasted the Human Resource Ministry for their proposal of amending provisions of the Industrial Relations Act and Trade Unions Act that provided protections to workers.

The proposed amendments, they say, will "give greater power to the state-capitalist class to oppress the workers and silence their rights to demand justice".

The Parliament, on July 3, tabled the bills on the proposed amendments. Debate on the proposed amendments will be done in the next Parliamentary sitting which begins at the end of this month.

The workers group claim that the proposed amendments would only allow compensation for unjustly dismissed worker for up to two years

This means, in the case of a worker's claim of unfair dismissal and if his case takes five years to settle, the worker would only receive a 24-month pay and the remaining three years worth of compensation will not be paid.

The amendments would also decrease the chance of setting a recognised union, stop picketing actions by an individual and oppress veteran workers.

"At present if the worker is 50 years old and he is dismissed, the law provides him a compensation of a five-year pay due to the retirement age limit of 55. The proposed amendments will no longer allow this," said the pro tem Secretary General of PSM S Arutchelvan.

The socialist party, grassroots support group Jerit and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress today held a press conference today to highlight the unfairness in the proposed amendments to the two labour laws.

"No workers groups were consulted or included for discussion in this matter and this shows clearly that the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administration is pro-employer," said Arutchelvan.

Employers' lobby

He further lamented that the government was quick to respond to pro-employer law proposals.

He however said that if similar proposals were made to better the conditions of workers, like the issue of minimum wage, such proposals "will definitely meet deliberate procrastination".

He later accused the Abdullah administration as being a "neo-liberal government slanting towards profit seeking", citing the recent attempts made by the government to reach a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

V Selvan, a general council member of the MTUC, gave more details as to why the government was pushing through the amendments.

"In our last meeting with the Deputy Minister of Human Resource Abdul Rahman Bakar, he told us that the reason why the ministry was doing this is because they were heavily lobbied by the Malaysian Employers Federation."

"And they have responded quickly to this lobbying," he said.

He also explained that more than 75 percent of the court cases filed by workers claiming unfair dismissals take more than two years to settle.

He said that "the case referral process to the ministry itself takes two years", adding "so the individual referring his matter to the court might as well just drop it" as he has a slim chance of getting rightful compensation under the new proposals.

Petitions in circulation

Another speaker, Dauzkiply Nor, a representative of the National Union of Bank Employees took a different angle in his attack at the proposed amendments.

"If Abdullah is so vocal about Islam Hadhari then what is this? Islam teaches us to take care of their ummah (people) but these laws are not helping the people, it is helping the companies to make big bucks and sack workers easily!" he charged.

Jerit too is doing its bid in helping to garner support from the public on this matter by organising various initiatives.

M Sivaranjani ( photo ) said petitions are currently being circulated and leaflets with information on the proposed amendments are to be printed soon out for distribution.