LETTER | It has now been more than three weeks since the nation's largest trade union congress was temporarily dissolved by the Registrar of Societies (ROS), yet it seems no workers or unions are missing it.

There is hardly any traction, no news or updates. There are no protests or pickets by workers calling for the revival of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), nor are there any statements from its leadership claiming government intervention or repression.

In fact, MTUC has another satirical name: "Empty You See". The MTUC today is a far cry from the unions of the mid-1940s, particularly the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU), which boasted a membership rate of 67 percent.

PMFTU fought for eight hours job, a rest day, a minimum wage act, etc. It was subsequently repressed by the British.

MTUC has long been a tame union, but its current situation is arguably its lowest point ever. Union membership in Malaysia has now dropped to less than six percent. If we exclude public sector workers, the unionisation rate among private sector employees would be around only three percent.

The glory days, with leaders like V David, known as "King David", and Zainal Rampak, who, to a certain extent, created some fear among the employers and the government, are over.

In 1989, then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad even created a rival body, the Malaysian Labour Organisation (MLO), to undermine MTUC, which was seen as being "difficult" by the government. The MLO subsequently collapsed in 1996.

Internal fighting

Today, the government or the state does not need to suppress the union. Internal infighting and endless court battles have been enough to render MTUC ineffective as a national trade union centre.

One sometimes wonders: why is there such a fierce clash over the leadership of MTUC? Could it be the perks, the international trips to International Labour Organization conferences, or seats on the Employees Provident Fund and Social Security Organisation boards?

MTUC has been embroiled in a complex leadership dispute, primarily between two factions. In 2019, the triennial delegates' conference resulted in a tied vote for the position of president, leading to uncertainty.

In 2022, a new election was held, making Effendy Abdul Ghani the president. However, this election result was later challenged in court. In 2023, the Shah Alam High Court declared the 2022 election null and void and issued a stay order, restricting MTUC's leadership from making any policy decisions.

In 2024, a faction led by secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor convened a general council meeting and sacked Effendy, who subsequently claimed the meeting and his removal as illegal and a contempt of court.

Wasted energy

A fresh election was ordered by the Court of Appeal in August 2025 to elect a new leadership team for the 2025–2027 term. Abdul Halim Mansor was elected president, receiving 227 votes against Effendy’s 218, a majority of only nine votes.

Kamarul won by a margin of just seven votes. The union appears to be split into two almost equal factions.

It appears that union leaders have been so exhausted fighting among themselves rather than fighting the bosses that they lacked the energy or will to respond when the ROS temporarily dissolved MTUC on May 7.

The suspension was enforced under Section 14(5) of the Societies Act 1966 for failing to comply with a ROS directive.

If only MTUC had used all its energy to fight for the betterment of Malaysian workers, they would not have found themselves in this turmoil.

The government's attempts to increase union membership have been unsuccessful not because of workers' reluctance, but because the unions themselves no longer seem interested in organising the working class to fight for their class interests.

It appears that fighting for positions, securing seats on government boards, and overseas trips have become the new battleground for Malaysia's trade union leaders.

S ARUTCHELVAN is PSM deputy chairperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.