No worker representation at ILC due to lack of MTUC leadership, says ministry
PUTRAJAYA: There is no worker representation in the Malaysian delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, due to there being no official leadership in the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).
The Human Resources Ministry said in a statement today that claims that the government deliberately excluded the participation of MTUC representatives were unfounded, misleading and malicious.
The ministry added that the Court of Appeal had on Feb 21 ordered the MTUC to hold fresh leadership elections within 90 days, which will be managed by a joint special committee (JBK).
"The election that was supposed to be held in May has been postponed to Aug 10, resulting in MTUC not having an official leadership to represent workers on any official platform, including the ILC," it added.
The ministry said the JBK, which was specifically established to handle the re-election process, has no mandate to make policy decisions or nominate representatives for international forums.
"The nomination of names by the JBK to the ILC is outside the jurisdiction granted by the court and has been objected to by several MTUC affiliate members," it clarified.
The ministry also emphasised that the selection of the Malaysian delegation to the ILC was made transparently based on the guidelines of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as well as legal advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) regarding MTUC's current status.
"The ministry calls for the MTUC re-elections to be promptly resolved to protect the image of the workers' union movement and ensure Malaysia's complete participation in the ILC next year," it said. – BERNAMA
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