PUTRAJAYA: The Human Resources Ministry (KESUMA) aims to increase the number of unionised workers nationwide to two million, its minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said.
He said that as of September, the number of trade unions in Malaysia had reached 759, with a membership of 1,030,151 people.
He said the target is in line with the Trade Unions (Amendment) Act 2024, which came into effect on Sept 15 and aims to empower trade unions in Malaysia.
“We currently have one million trade union members. and we hope to increase this to two million.
“This is because I see unions as a forum for workers’ rights. Having a union means we are strong,” he said in his speech at the opening of the 2024 National Trade Union Assembly here today.
He said enforcing the Trade Unions (Amendment) Act 2024 also reduces barriers to establishing trade unions.
“We want to give workers the right to be more actively involved in unions, to provide more power to the workforce in Malaysia,” he said.
Regarding the Gig Workers’ Economy Bill, Sim said he was working towards presenting it in the current Parliament session.
“We are working hard to bring forward the new Workers’ Bill that will safeguard the rights of our gig workers, who have long been left out of the Employment Act.
During the event, Sim also presented awards to five recipients of the 2024 Trade Union Awards, including Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal, President of the Uni Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC), who received the Special Award.
Associate Prof Dr Abd Rahman Tamuri from the Academic Staff Association of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (PKAUTM) also received an award in the Trade Union Figure Award category.
