No more excuse! LLRC & MTUC Sabah demands amendments of Sabah & Sarawak Labour Ordinance

Joint press release by LLRC and MTUC Sabah on 28 April 2024 in Shah Alam

(Kota Kinabalu) The Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) and Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Sabah call on the federal government and the Sabah state government to amend the Sabah & Sarawak Labour Ordinance (SLO) immediately, no more excuse should be given to delay the amendment!

Workers are losing up to 200 million ringgit each year!!!

The two labour organisations stressed that the Employment Act amendment in Peninsular Malaysia was fully enforced on 1 January 2023, but disappointingly until today the SLO is still not on the legislative agenda, which is unfair for Sabah & Sarawak workers at all.

Speaking at a joint LLRC-MTUC Sabah meeting on Sabah & Sarawak Labour Ordinance and Trade Union Act amendments on 27 April 2024 in Kota Kinablu, the LLRC President Mohd Jafar Abdul Majid said :

“I wish to remind elected representatives that they have huge responsibility in improving workers’ well-being. Sabah & Sarawak workers should have enjoyed 45 hour of work and earned higher overtime if EA and SLO were implemented together on 15 months ago. Please concentrate your efforts to increase workers’ benefit rather than engaging in endless political bickering that does not help workers.”

MTUC Sabah Secretary Engrit Liaw said :

“We see politicians are busy with elections after elections, they made a lot of promises to workers but failed to deliver after they assumed to power. Can you focus your effort to ensure the rights of Sabah & Sarawak workers are on par with Peninsular Malaysia workers? This is blatant violation of non-discrimination principle in the Federal Constitution!”

On 1 November 2023, the Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the amendment bill was postponed and being reviewed by the Attorney-General. In March 2024, the parliament again failed to include SLO amendment in the legislative agenda.