Amnesty International in Malaysia today urged the government to step up its effort to guarantee the basic rights of workers in the country in conjunction with the International Labour Day celebration.

Among the measures that should be taken by the government is to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No 87 on freedom of association and protection of right to organise.

The government should review the Trade Union Act and remove all clauses that violate the right to freedom of association, said the human rights watchdog in its statement.

It also reiterated that all forms of legislation which have been used to restrict the exercising of workers rights, including the Internal Security Act which permits indefinite detention without trial, the Official Secrets Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and the Sedition Act.

AI added that the celebration today was to remind people of the thousands of trade unionists and labour activists who have been harassed, imprisoned, tortured and oppressed because they dared to fight for fundamental human rights.

Since the 1990s, Malaysia has been accused of violating the ILO Convention No 87 by stopping electronics workers from establishing a national union.

The electronics sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the country over the past decade, with Malaysia being the worlds third largest producer and one of the largest exporters of semiconductors and electronic products.

However, only in-house unions are allowed in the electronics sector and these unions are estimated to represent only five percent of the countrys 150,000 electronics workers.

Workers split

Previously, the International Metalworkers Federation had urged the ILO to take action against Malaysia for violating the ILO convention, but this was met with a threat by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take Malaysia out of the body.

Local civil groups and Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) have also long expressed their concern over the Trade Union Act which is said to weaken trade union movement.

It is believed that less than 20 percent of employees in the country are unionised, and this number is further split among more than 400 unions.

MTUC, which has fought for among others, five-day work, minimum wages for plantation sector, as well as better management of the pension fund; has constantly been labelled as unreasonable by the government and pro-government labour bodies such as Cuepacs, a union of civil servants.

Call on China

Meanwhile, AI also urged China to release all trade unionists and labour activists who had been detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association.

China is a nation where independent trade unions are banned. In recent years, attempts to create independent trade unions have been short-lived and repressed, often resulting in violence and imprisonment of activists and leaders.

Those appear to be outspoken, including journalists and lawyers, are also targeted by the authorities and often face intimidation and arrest, said AI.