Latest news with #SarawakLabourDepartment
Borneo Post
03-07-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Director: JTK Sarawak inspects over 3,500 employer premises as of May 2025
Raduan presents a memento to Majang during the opening ceremony. BINTULU (July 3): The Sarawak Labour Department (JTK Sarawak) has inspected 3,514 employer premises across the state as of May 2025, said JTK state director Awang Raduan Awang Omar. He said that from these inspections, 390 notifications were issued to employers for various violations under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Chapter 76). 'During the same period, 729 labour-related cases were received and handled by labour offices throughout Sarawak. 'From January to May 2025, JTK Sarawak offered 563 compounds amounting to RM876,000. A total of RM31,475,212.52 in employee compensation was recorded,' he said. He shared this during the Customer Engagement Day and Anti-Forced Labour Awareness campaign at Dewan Suarah, Bintulu on Wednesday, as part of the Labour Go Rural Area Programme (L-GRAP) 6.0. The event was officiated by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Dato Majang Renggi. Officially launched on June 30, Raduan said the L-GRAP 6.0 features a convoy of 21 vehicles travelling across Sarawak and even crossing into neighbouring Brunei Darussalam before heading to Lawas. He said the journey, which began in Kuching, will span seven days with stops in Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, and culminating in Lawas on July 5, before returning to Kuching on July 6. The convoy was flagged off at the Sultan Iskandar Building lobby and is making its way across rural and coastal areas, aiming to bridge the information gap for communities that often face limited access to legal and labour-related information. 'Since its inception in 2020, L-GRAP has evolved into a vital platform for labour education, employment legal advocacy, and inter-agency collaboration involving government departments, local communities, and industry players,' he said. On July 1, 2025, the convoy stopped in Sibu where it carried out a corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity at Rumah Seri Kenangan, engaging residents in various programmes before continuing to Kampung Penan Muslim to distribute aid. The highlight of the L-GRAP 6.0 tour will be held on July 4 at Hotel Seri Malaysia, Lawas, through the 'Protect Workers, End Forced Labour' campaign. Each stop along the route features outreach activities including legal advice, labour-related talks, fraud awareness sessions, career counselling, and more. Raduan said a key focus of L-GRAP 6.0 is to raise awareness of amendments to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Chapter 76), which came into effect on May 1, 2025. These amendments he said provide improved protections and benefits for workers in Sarawak. The programme emphasises the importance of understanding labour laws that safeguard workers' rights and clarify employers' responsibilities. This year's programme also includes public awareness on risks of overseas employment for Sarawak workers, implementation of Malaysia's minimum wage policy, social Security Schemes for self-employed individuals and housewives and Job scams and employment fraud prevention. In addition, the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) is conducting MyFutureJobs open interviews in Bintulu and Lawas, providing opportunities for jobseekers to secure employment on the spot. L-GRAP is now an annual flagship programme under JTK Sarawak, running successfully since 2020. It reflects the Ministry of Human Resources' (Kesuma) long-term initiative to bring government services closer to rural communities, while empowering citizens with knowledge about their rights under national labour laws.
Borneo Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Labour rights outreach crucial to rural development, says MP
Willie (left) prepares to flag off the LGRAP 6.0 convoy. KUCHING (July 1): Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin has lauded the proactive efforts of the Sarawak Labour Department in expanding workers' rights awareness and labour-related services to rural communities through the Labour Go Rural Area Programme 6.0 (LGRAP 6.0). He said it is important to ensure that both employers and workers across Sarawak are well informed about recent improvements made to the state's labour laws. Since the amendments to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (Chapter 76) came into effect on May 1 this year, Willie noted the department has taken commendable steps to update the public on these changes. 'This includes awareness on matters such as maternity and paternity leave, shorter working hours, and other critical employment rights,' he said during the official launch and flag-off ceremony of LGRAP 6.0 at the Sultan Iskandar Building here yesterday. He described the department's role as vital in maintaining workplace harmony, ensuring fair dispute resolution between employers and employees, and upholding enforcement through regular statutory inspections conducted by its 16 branches throughout Sarawak. 'Such efforts are aligned with both federal and state governments' aspirations to drive social and economic development. I urge employers, workers, training institutions and local communities to work closely with the department to build a fair, inclusive, and progressive employment ecosystem,' he added. LGRAP, now in its sixth iteration, is a strategic outreach initiative by the Ministry of Human Resources aimed at bridging the gap in labour services between urban and rural areas. Willie noted the initiative has benefitted thousands of Sarawakians by bringing advisory services and labour rights education directly to rural communities. The programme also saw participation from various agencies including the National Wages Consultative Council, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Council, the Royal Malaysia Police, and the Ministry of Health, all of which held exhibitions and talks during the event. 'This reflects the strong cooperation between federal and state-level departments in delivering direct, quality services to the public,' said Willie. He commended the Sarawak Labour Department for organising the event and expressed confidence that such initiatives will further raise awareness among Sarawakians regarding their legal rights as workers. Willie also thanked all parties involved in the programme and expressed hope that similar initiatives will continue in the future. He later launched the Ministry of Human Resources' Customer Day and flagged off the LGRAP 6.0 convoy, wishing participants a safe and successful outreach mission across Sarawak. lead rural areas Sarawak Labour Department Willie Mongin
Borneo Post
10-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Employees entitled to replacement holiday on June 3 as Gawai, Agong's Birthday fall on same day
File photo for illustration purposes KUCHING (May 10): Employees observing Gawai Dayak will be entitled to a replacement holiday on June 3 since June 2, which is the second day of Gawai, overlaps with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday, the Sarawak Labour Department said in a statement today. It explained that according to Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Chapter 76), the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday is a day off that must be given to employees and cannot be replaced with another day, while Gawai is an optional day off that is set based on the religion and culture of the employee. 'For employees under the Ordinance who are given Gawai holidays, June 3, 2025 should be used as the replacement day off. However, this replacement date may be changed to another day by mutual agreement between the employer and employee, in accordance with Section 104(2) of the same Ordinance,' the statement read. It added that Section 104(1) of the Ordinance also provides that if any holiday falls on an employee's rest day, then the next working day shall be made a substitute holiday. 'For example, if June 1, 2025 is an employee's rest day, then June 3, 2025 should be made a public holiday, while June 4, 2025 will be the second public holiday,' it added. The statement was issued following concerns in Sarawak over the overlap between the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday and the second day of Gawai Dayak, both of which fall on June 2, 2025. Gawai Dayak is traditionally celebrated with two days of public holidays in Sarawak.
