Latest news with #ILOC155
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia commits to more reforms, solidarity in labour rights agenda, says Steven Sim
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is moving forward with bold and comprehensive labour reforms as it aims to further empower workers, strengthen unions and ensure equitable rights across all regions and sectors, including the gig economy, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. He said Malaysia's commitment to labour rights was unwavering and continued to evolve in line with international standards and global solidarity. "When I came last year, I represented Malaysia to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention C155 on Occupational Safety and Health. "I am proud to say that today, Malaysia has implemented over 100 improvements to our national Occupational Safety and Health legislation in line with ILO C155," he said in his address at the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Sim noted several key milestones Malaysia had achieved in the past year, including the removal of restrictive barriers to labour union formation, which is expected to double union membership nationwide. "Today, Malaysia has radically reduced previous government restrictions on setting up labour unions," he said. He also highlighted the harmonisation of labour standards across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak for the first time in two decades. "Today, we have synchronised these three labour standards, thus giving equal rights and protections to every worker in Malaysia regardless of gender, race, religion and region after 20 years of disparity," Sim said. The minister said social security benefits had been increased by 20%, with coverage expanded to migrant workers and round-the-clock protection beyond work-related accidents. "Statutory minimum wage has increased by 13% this year, while median monthly wage has increased by 11% compared to when I came to this conference a year ago," he said, adding that national unemployment was at a 10-year low. Sim also brought with him the final draft of Malaysia's new Gig Workers Bill, which he plans to table in Parliament soon. "I look forward to tabling this historic legislation in the coming Malaysian Parliament. "I am confident the conversations we have here will strengthen Malaysia's resolve to put our country among the handful of jurisdictions in the world to have laws protecting workers in the gig economy," he said. He stressed that although Malaysia was a small economy, the well-being of workers was non-negotiable to the country. Sim urged global labour stakeholders not to fall into a transactional mindset or adopt a zero-sum approach to international cooperation. "To insist on building more bridges towards peaceful collaborations, this is the only way forward,' he said, adding that COVID-19 had underscored the interdependence of nations. He said workers in smaller nations would be vulnerable if global trade punished the protection of workers' well-being. Meanwhile, Sim reaffirmed Asean's commitment to solidarity, citing the recent Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which outlined a 20-year roadmap for close cooperation among member states. "Multilateral platforms such as the ILO need to do more to foster such solidarity," he said, welcoming the ILO's partnership with Malaysia and Asean to launch the Asean Year of Skills 2025. This is the way forward - more conversations, more coalitions, more collaborations, and more concerted actions,' he said. - Bernama
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia commits to more reforms, solidarity in labour rights agenda
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is moving forward with bold and comprehensive labour reforms as it aims to further empower workers, strengthen unions and ensure equitable rights across all regions and sectors, including the gig economy, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. He said Malaysia's commitment to labour rights was unwavering and continued to evolve in line with international standards and global solidarity. 'When I came last year, I represented Malaysia to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention C155 on Occupational Safety and Health. 'I am proud to say that today, Malaysia has implemented over 100 improvements to our national Occupational Safety and Health legislation in line with ILO C155,' he said in his address at the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Sim noted several key milestones Malaysia had achieved in the past year, including the removal of restrictive barriers to labour union formation, which is expected to double union membership nationwide. 'Today, Malaysia has radically reduced previous government restrictions on setting up labour unions,' he said. He also highlighted the harmonisation of labour standards across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak for the first time in two decades. 'Today, we have synchronised these three labour standards, thus giving equal rights and protections to every worker in Malaysia regardless of gender, race, religion and region after 20 years of disparity,' Sim said. The minister said social security benefits had been increased by 20 per cent, with coverage expanded to migrant workers and round-the-clock protection beyond work-related accidents. 'Statutory minimum wage has increased by 13 per cent this year, while median monthly wage has increased by 11 per cent compared to when I came to this conference a year ago,' he said, adding that national unemployment was at a 10-year low. Sim also brought with him the final draft of Malaysia's new Gig Workers Bill, which he plans to table in Parliament soon. 'I look forward to tabling this historic legislation in the coming Malaysian Parliament. I am confident the conversations we have here will strengthen Malaysia's resolve to put our country among the handful of jurisdictions in the world to have laws protecting workers in the gig economy,' he said. He stressed that although Malaysia was a small economy, the well-being of workers was non-negotiable to the country. Sim urged global labour stakeholders not to fall into a transactional mindset or adopt a zero-sum approach to international cooperation. 'To insist on building more bridges towards peaceful collaborations, this is the only way forward,' he said, adding that COVID-19 had underscored the interdependence of nations. He said workers in smaller nations would be vulnerable if global trade punished the protection of workers' well-being. Meanwhile, Sim reaffirmed ASEAN's commitment to solidarity, citing the recent Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which outlined a 20-year roadmap for close cooperation among member states. 'Multilateral platforms such as the ILO need to do more to foster such solidarity,' he said, welcoming the ILO's partnership with Malaysia and ASEAN to launch the ASEAN Year of Skills 2025. This is the way forward — more conversations, more coalitions, more collaborations, and more concerted actions,' he said.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia commits to labour reforms, solidarity
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is moving forward with bold and comprehensive labour reforms as it aims to further empower workers, strengthen unions and ensure equitable rights across all regions and sectors, including the gig economy, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. He said Malaysia's commitment to labour rights was unwavering and continued to evolve in line with international standards and global solidarity. 'When I came last year, I represented Malaysia to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention C155 on Occupational Safety and Health. 'I am proud to say that today, Malaysia has implemented over 100 improvements to our national Occupational Safety and Health legislation in line with ILO C155,' he said in his address at the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Sim noted several key milestones Malaysia had achieved in the past year, including the removal of restrictive barriers to labour union formation, which is expected to double union membership nationwide. 'Today, Malaysia has radically reduced previous government restrictions on setting up labour unions,' he said. He also highlighted the harmonisation of labour standards across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak for the first time in two decades. 'Today, we have synchronised these three labour standards, thus giving equal rights and protections to every worker in Malaysia regardless of gender, race, religion and region after 20 years of disparity,' Sim said. The minister said social security benefits had been increased by 20 per cent, with coverage expanded to migrant workers and round-the-clock protection beyond work-related accidents. 'Statutory minimum wage has increased by 13 per cent this year, while median monthly wage has increased by 11 per cent compared to when I came to this conference a year ago,' he said, adding that national unemployment was at a 10-year low. Sim also brought with him the final draft of Malaysia's new Gig Workers Bill, which he plans to table in Parliament soon. 'I look forward to tabling this historic legislation in the coming Malaysian Parliament. I am confident the conversations we have here will strengthen Malaysia's resolve to put our country among the handful of jurisdictions in the world to have laws protecting workers in the gig economy,' he said. He stressed that although Malaysia was a small economy, the well-being of workers was non-negotiable to the country. Sim urged global labour stakeholders not to fall into a transactional mindset or adopt a zero-sum approach to international cooperation. 'To insist on building more bridges towards peaceful collaborations, this is the only way forward,' he said, adding that COVID-19 had underscored the interdependence of nations. He said workers in smaller nations would be vulnerable if global trade punished the protection of workers' well-being. Meanwhile, Sim reaffirmed ASEAN's commitment to solidarity, citing the recent Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which outlined a 20-year roadmap for close cooperation among member states. 'Multilateral platforms such as the ILO need to do more to foster such solidarity,' he said, welcoming the ILO's partnership with Malaysia and ASEAN to launch the ASEAN Year of Skills 2025. This is the way forward — more conversations, more coalitions, more collaborations, and more concerted actions,' he said.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Malaysia commits to labour rights reforms, gig economy protections
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is moving forward with bold and comprehensive labour reforms as it aims to further empower workers, strengthen unions and ensure equitable rights across all regions and sectors, including the gig economy, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim. He said Malaysia's commitment to labour rights was unwavering and continued to evolve in line with international standards and global solidarity. "When I came last year, I represented Malaysia to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention C155 on Occupational Safety and Health. "I am proud to say that today, Malaysia has implemented over 100 improvements to our national Occupational Safety and Health legislation in line with ILO C155," he said in his address at the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Sim said several key milestones Malaysia had achieved in the past year, including the removal of restrictive barriers to labour union formation, which is expected to double union membership nationwide. "Today, Malaysia has radically reduced previous government restrictions on setting up labour unions," he said. He also highlighted the harmonisation of labour standards across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak for the first time in two decades. "Today, we have synchronised these three labour standards, thus giving equal rights and protections to every worker in Malaysia regardless of gender, race, religion and region after 20 years of disparity," Sim said. The minister said social security benefits had been increased by 20 per cent, with coverage expanded to migrant workers and round-the-clock protection beyond work-related accidents. "Statutory minimum wage has increased by 13 per cent this year, while median monthly wage has increased by 11 per cent compared to when I came to this conference a year ago," he said, adding that national unemployment was at a 10-year low. Sim also brought with him the final draft of Malaysia's Gig Workers Bill, which he plans to table in parliament soon. "I look forward to tabling this historic legislation in the coming Malaysian Parliament. "I am confident the conversations we have here will strengthen Malaysia's resolve to put our country among the handful of jurisdictions in the world to have laws protecting workers in the gig economy," he said. Although Malaysia was a small economy, the well-being of workers was non-negotiable to the country, he said. Sim urged global labour stakeholders not to fall into a transactional mindset or adopt a zero-sum approach to international cooperation. "To insist on building more bridges towards peaceful collaborations, this is the only way forward," he said, adding that Covid-19 had underscored the interdependence of nations. He said workers in smaller nations would be vulnerable if global trade punished the protection of workers' well-being. Meanwhile, Sim reaffirmed Asean's commitment to solidarity, citing the recent Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which outlined a 20-year roadmap for close cooperation among member states. "Multilateral platforms such as the ILO need to do more to foster such solidarity," he said, welcoming the ILO's partnership with Malaysia and Asean to launch the Asean Year of Skills 2025. This is the way forward — more conversations, more coalitions, more collaborations, and more concerted actions," he said. – Bernama
The Star
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia has made major strides in workers' welfare, Sim tells Apec
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has made significant progress in strengthening workers' welfare and labour rights over the past year, with the national unemployment rate dropping to a 10-year low of 3.1%, according to Steven Sim (pic). Speaking at the Apec Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting (HRDMM) in Jeju, South Korea, the Human Resources Minister highlighted several key reforms, including a 13% increase in the national minimum wage and a 20% boost in social security benefits for workers. 'We have extended full social security protection, previously only enjoyed by our citizens, to foreign workers, legislated ILOC 155 (International Labour Organisation Convention) on occupational safety and health after 43 years, reduced previous restrictions on the setting up of labour unions and allocated up to RM10bil for various schemes related to education and training.' He noted that more women are now entering the workforce and homemakers are covered under social security insurance for care work at home. He said for the first time, the median wage surpassed the RM3,000 threshold, marking a major milestone for wage growth. 'These are very important progresses for us, simply because workers' well-being is a critical non-negotiable component in our government,' he added. Reflecting on the post-pandemic context, Sim said that the Covid-19 pandemic underscored the dual importance of life and livelihood, with the guiding principle that 'no one is safe until everyone is safe'. 'Our global faith is much more intertwined than some people would want us to believe. May I therefore suggest that this lesson forms the framework of our discussion, that workers' well-being is non-negotiable, and we can only do well if we work together,' he said. Sim also shared his intention to table a historic Gig Workers Bill in the next parliamentary meeting, which aims to provide better protection and recognition for workers in the gig economy. Sim is leading the Malaysian delegation to the HRDMM, which is being held for the first time in 11 years. The last meeting took place in Vietnam in 2014. The ministerial meeting is part of the broader Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Conference and carries the theme 'Labour Market Sustainability and Future Work'.
