At a time when trade unions face the worst amendments to Malaysia’s labour laws, the movement has tragically lost one of its finest leaders. Francis Xavier , 59, passed away on Sept 8, hours after a car skidded and hit several motorcyclists, one of whom was Francis.

Francis’s unceasing commitment and passion for the protection of  rights of workers are well-known to the many workers whose lives he struggled to make better. Deeply humane and passionate about the cause of  the working class, Francis gave his life and liberty for  the happiness of workers who needed decent wages and better working conditions.

Francis xavier cortege leaving church No worker was too small, no worker-related  issue too insignificant for Francis. He did not turn away  any worker who needed his help, says K Selvaraja, a close friend of Francis and a former trade unionist.

I knew Francis for almost two decades of his three decades as a labour activist. In the early 1990s, the Education and Research Association for Consumers (I was its president then) faced some organisational challenges and we required expertise to resolve them.

A friend whom I had approached for assistance said, “I will introduce you the best in organisational management.” I was introduced to Francis who was then the executive secretary of the National Union of Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products (NUECMRP).

I found him as did others to be guided by the enduring principles of honesty, forthrightness, steely integrity and ethics. Francis was very charming, compassionate and humble. He had great energy and when we worked on projects, other team members found it difficult to keep to his long hours.

His knowledge of laws governing societies and unions and the mechanisms for their implementation were often sought after.

Francis will most be remembered for his ability, struggles and passion for organising  and reorganising workers to unionise in a climate that preferred a fragmented trade union movement. The dwindling numbers in union membership has been a major concern of Malaysian trade unions. From 10% membership of the total workforce in the 1980s, it is now down to about 8%.

Reaching out to the workers

On his motorbike, he would go through difficult terrain at dusk when workers came home after work. The rough rides through the rice fields of Kedah and Penang were a small inconvenience, says Selvaraja, as long as he was able to reach out to workers , to conscientise them on their role in building democratic unions. Francis was a strong believer in a multi-ethnic rank and file union leadership.

labour day 2003 His inter-personal skills were a great asset in organising workers and in negotiating collective agreements with industries. Collective agreements impact the lives of thousands of workers and their families. After months, days and many hours of negotiations, just before the clock strikes the last hour for the expiry of a collective agreement, the management would give in to a few more cents to the daily wages of workers.

One day, after a long and difficult collective agreement, he remarked that the few cents would make no difference to the company’s profit lines and yet they went on negotiating until 3am. I saw his pain and disappointment but I knew he would not give up the struggle.

When workers disputes faced a wall and management refused to relent, Francis took multiple approaches in resolving these disputes. As the Malaysian trade union movement is not militant, unions use mediations, negotiations, peaceful protests and campaigns to resolve disputes.

A to Z in campaign strategies

I recollect Era Consumers active participation in one such campaign initiated by the NUECMRP. It was while assisting in this endeavour that I saw Francis’s ability to use the A to Z in campaign strategies for a just solution for his union members.

 

A company had not met the agreed employee compensation and had harassed workers and threatened them with dismissals if they contemplated action. The company was alleged to have  repatriated profits to settle the debts of its parent company in London instead of paying workers here.

In the midst of the campaign , I had to leave for a conference in Montpellier, France. Francis persuaded me to continue the signature campaign to support workers rights in Montpellier. I did and succeeded in mobilising enough signatures from consumer leaders worldwide. Friends delivered the protest against unfair treatment of workers by the company to its London headquarters.  

Despite the relentless efforts of Francis and many past and present labour leaders, little has changed for the betterment of lives of workers and their families.

In his epic work on The Making of the English Working Class , EP Thompson highlights the plight of  “ ..masses of unskilled or poorly skilled workers whose incomes were almost absorbed in paying for the bare necessities of life”. This was 18th century England. In 21st century Malaysia, a minimum living wage remains a dream.

Organising workers, democratising the workplace and forming strong unions, Francis believed, would translate into better wages and benefits for the workers. For more than 30 years , he had not given up organising the workers in the electronics sector. He was recently appointed the northern regional coordinator of the electronics union which has been allowed to register only regionally and not nationally. This has been a 40-year struggle for labour organising in Malaysia.

While he battled and struggled for the bread and butter issues of workers, Francis often emphasised that respect for human rights, independence of the judiciary, the right to association, occupational health and safety and women’s leadership in trade unions were critical for a progressive labour movement in the country. He gave his  support and expertise voluntarily to those involved in these causes.

NONE Nelson Mandela ( left ) and Mahatma Ghandi were two leaders Francis admired, among others. A bachelor, his material needs were few. He leaves behind his brothers and sisters and his 92-year-old mother.

Many of us, whose lives he had touched, would always miss him.

He had a lovely voice and I think he would have liked this song:

  “You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?

   Another day older and deeper in debt

  St Peter, don’t you call me, ‘cause I can’t go

  I owe my soul to the company store….”

  Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis, 1947.         

 

JOSIE M FERNANDEZ is currently an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, director of Philanthropy Asia, a researcher and consultant. Working on sustainability, philanthropy and anti-corruption actions are some of her current passions besides writing.