Sabah to have one-stop labour service centre
Steven Sim
KOTA KINABALU (June 2): The Human Resources Ministry (KESUMA) will set up a one-stop labour service centre in Sabah.
Its minister, Steven Sim Chee Keong, said the new initiative will consolidate various employment-related services under one roof.
Sim announced this during a recent working visit to the Sabah Medical Services Union (SMSU) as part of his ministry's ongoing efforts to engage with workers and strengthen labour protections and welfare nationwide.
Previously, the minister had outlined plans to set up three pilot centres in Penang, the Klang Valley and Johor Bahru. The Sabah centre marks the latest step in expanding this initiative across the country, with hopes for its realization in the coming months.
'We will create a one-stop centre in Sabah. All worker-related issues — whether involving the Labour Department (JTK), the Department of Industrial Relations (JPPM), the Trade Union Affairs Department (JHEKS), PERKESO, etc.—can be addressed in one place. Workers won't need to go back and forth between different offices,' Sim said in a statement released by KESUMA on Monday.
He commended SMSU for its over 60 years of service in advocating for workers' welfare, particularly in Sabah's healthcare sector, praising its members as 'frontline heroes' who sacrificed greatly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sim also highlighted KESUMA's key achievement: the long-delayed approval of the Sabah Labour Ordinance and Sarawak Labour Ordinance, stalled for over 20 years before finally being passed by Parliament in 2024.
These amendments, effective from 1 May 2025 (except for Part IVA on minimum housing standards for workers), harmonize labour rights and protections nationwide.
'We cannot let workers in Sabah and Sarawak remain behind in protections. This success was not mine alone but a collective effort — MTUC, trade unions, state governments, and KESUMA officials, including JTK Sabah director Wan Zulkifli Wan Setapa,' he explained.
In another milestone, the minister celebrated the establishment of the Sabah Labour Advisory Council (SLAC) on 13 May 2025, congratulating SMSU president Ajulahin Japin and executive secretary Laurence Vun on their SLAC appointments.
Ajulahin was also appointed a permanent member of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) starting 1 May 2025. NLAC serves as a tripartite platform (employers, workers, government) advising on labour policies and legislation.
To boost union participation, KESUMA launched the MADANI Worker Card, offering 10–30% discounts at selected businesses, with plans to recruit more companies. SMSU also received a 260% increase in 2025 grants (RM111,900 vs. RM33,000 in 2024), reflecting the raised national PHEKS grant allocation from RM2.6 million (2023) to RM10 million (2025).
As added support, Sabah Minister of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe announced a RM5,000 special allocation for SMSU.
The visit underscores KESUMA's commitment to amplifying workers' voices, expanding service access, and embedding MADANI principles in equitable, inclusive labour development nationwide.
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