Gopal Kishnam Nadesan
KUCHING (Oct 12): Leaders of workers’ unions must use the available opportunity to organise the 95 per cent of unorganised workers and drive trade union movements forward in the digital era.
Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LSLRA) secretary Gopal Kishnam Nadesan said this following the amendments to the Trade Unions Act 1959 which he believed will lead to more effective unions, making it easier for workers to join unions and contribute to efforts to raise the workers’ share of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is at a historical low.
LSLRA was formerly known as Labour Law Reform Council (LLRC).
In a press statement issued at Shah Alam yesterday, Gopal said it welcomed the passage of the Trade Union (Amendment) Bill at Parliament on Oct 10.
He explained the amendment will pave the way for real freedom of association in accordance with the ILO Convention 87, allowing workers to choose worker organisations of their own choice without interference from the government.
“It removes various limitations imposed by the British colonial regime with the aim of weakening the labour movement and maintaining the low wage colonial economy to the benefit of the colonisers.
“After the amendment, workers from various sectors can either join or form a big and strong union, which has the capacity to defend the workers’ rights,” he stressed.
Gopal also urged some quarters to stop spreading disinformation among trade unionists that the amendment will lead to chaos, inter-union rivalry and destroy trade union unity.
“It is an insult to the intelligence of Malaysian workers that they don’t know how to make democratic decisions in the interest of the workers,” he said.