news feature

More often than not, in-house unions are frowned upon by unionists who claim them to be nothing but management 'stooges'.

Complaints of their ineffectiveness are abundant and there are accusations that these yellow unions lack leadership qualities and motivation in advancing the cause of workers' rights.

Several unions have been known to take the management's side in times of real crisis, letting down their members.

The in-house union of the Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd in Pasir Gudang (Johor), however, say they are an exception.

Autonomy

The union has declined offers to affiliate itself with the Malaysian Trades Union Congress - an umbrella body for hundreds of unions from various industries, representing some 500,000 workers - because it wants to remain autonomous and independent.

"We do not want to lose our freedom of speech (by joining MTUC)," MSE workers' union president, Yem Harun, told malaysiakini in an interview last month.

"Linking with them (MTUC), would make it difficult for us to carry out our functions as union leaders," said the unionist.

He said affiliating with a large body would slow them down when dealing with matters which need immediate attention.

"Each company faces problems which are sometimes unique to the industry. If we have to wait to consult the parent body, then our goal of wanting to achieve industrial harmony may take a very long time," said Yem.

Gloomy times under ministry

The shipyard workers are some of the most skilled workers in the country. Before 1992, MSE was a company registered under the Finance Ministry. Under government administration, the workers faced gloomy times, said Yem. The most crucial period was in 1987; the company retrenched 340 workers then.

"At that time, we (management and workers) were constantly at loggerheads," said Yem.

The workers' aggressiveness in demanding for better wages and working conditions paid off when MSE was privatised in 1992. Since then the company has been registering a profit of RM10 million yearly.

Malaysiakini found the in-house union, established since 1978, very organised. The union is housed in an air-conditioned office with a full-time clerk to conduct its routine functions.

Their records are up-to-date and the union committee claim that they are consulted in every management's decision, be it a pay hike or a change of the colour of their uniforms.

Lacking effective leadership

According to the union's secretary Abdul Jalil Md Sab, who was also present at the interview, another reason for refusing MTUC's membership is the workers' perception that the congress lacked leadership effectiveness.

"There is no point in being an MTUC member if the leaders are not efficient and are not known to the workers," said Jalil.

He added that the workers only respect those who speak up for them and fight for their rights.

"We are not like politicians. Politicians have many supporters even if they do nothing for the people. Union leaders are nothing if they cannot provide something for the workers," said Yem.

Apart from organisational problems, the union found MTUC's 'messing' with matters related to their company 'embarrassing'.

Zainal Rampak criticised

Yem criticised MTUC president Zainal Rampak for his statement regarding a fire incident at the shipyard which killed nine people in October last year.

The oil spill in one of the ships caused an explosion, and the Bangladeshis on board could not escape on time.

"Zainal blamed the management when the tragedy was in fact an accident. He did not consult us. As a result people laughed at his statement," said Yem, adding that such statements must be made with caution as it may affect the nation's interest.

"His (Zainal) statement eventually caused some friction between us and the management who thought that we had provided him with information," he added.

The MSE in-house union has gained the respect of workers in other industries in Pasir Gudang.

Under Yem's leadership, the union has become a sort of 'big brother' to workers in other companies within the region striving to set up their own organisation.

The union takes upon itself the task of training, advising and assisting others in their quest to organise themselves.

Yem and his comrades felt it was necessary to 'encourage the spirit', as in the past 20 years less than one percent of the factories or companies were unionised.

There was also an attempt to organise a federation of unions in Johor about 10 years ago but management pressure on the workers from some companies made it difficult to achieve the goal.

"Eventually, the project was abandoned as many leaders (who took the initiative to organise their colleagues) were pressured into leaving the companies," said Yem, adding that currently only the MSE, Johor Port, and textile unions were active.

Hindrance to union formation

In Malaysia, there are numerous obstacles to trade union formation. Some of these hindrances include legislative restrictions, dismissals of trade union recruiters, and the slow and tedious procedures needed to obtain recognition.

Furthermore, general or national unions are prohibited for industries such as electronics. Mergers between unions in different professional sectors are also practically impossible.

According to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions "not even existing trade unions (in Malaysia) that have been bargaining honestly for years are safe from unpleasant surprises".

As a case in point, it said, Ericsson Malaysia had sent a letter to its trade union in May to state that a study would be carried out to determine whether or not the trade union should continue to represent its employees.

"International solidarity and other Malaysian trade unions finally pressured Ericsson into withdrawing its threat," said ICFTU, in its 2001 report issued recently.

Workers harassed

Other cases in the report include Chugai Corporation - headquartered in Japan - which harassed workers who have been union members since the trade union requested recognition in 1999.

The management sent a letter to 20 of its employees to inform them that they would have to be transferred to another site if they did not terminate their trade union membership.

The ICFTU also reported that in a similar case, the American multi-national General Electric "successfully persuaded" the Department of Trade Unions to prevent their employees from joining an existing union.

In Johor recently, Ramatex Textile Industries suspended more than 70 workers for 14 days because of their trade union activities. Most of those dismissed were area committee officials of the union at plant level, claimed ICFTU.