Latest news with #UnionAffairsDevelopmentGrant

The Star

24-05-2025

Business
The Star

Retirement review underway

Sim: Proposal to raise limit to 65 being studied by govt panel KLANG: The Human Resources Ministry is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim ( pic ). He said the matter is being examined by a special committee led by the ministry's deputy secretary-general (policy and international), Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar, as it involves labour laws that fall under the ministry's purview. He said the ministry will seek input and feedback from stakeholders – especially from the public sector, workers and employers – during the study to ensure compliance with international best practices. 'This committee will assess the suitability of raising the retirement age in Malaysia, as there are both pros and cons, along with certain challenges. However, within the ministry, labour market reforms includes reviewing all 28 existing labour laws. 'This is because some of these laws are outdated. We will look at ways to refine and harmonise them, and there are also (provisions) that we need to abolish or update,' Sim said after the central-level 2025 Union Affairs Development Grant (PHEKS) handover ceremony here yesterday. On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 is among the issues requiring attention and careful in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously proposed that the government consider raising the mandatory retirement age. Azalina, who made the suggestion in her personal capacity, said it would be a loss for individuals to retire at 60 when they are still energetic, productive, and capable of contributing to the the event, Sim said the government had allocated RM10mil this year, up from RM5.8mil in 2024, marking the highest amount in the history of PHEKS implementation, as reported by Bernama. He said the move reflected the ministry's efforts to further strengthen the trade union movement in Malaysia, with the assistance to be used for training and educational programmes aimed at equipping union members with skills in areas such as management and leadership. 'What we are introducing this year focuses on digitalisation, encouraging unions to transition to computer technology and digital systems' he said. Of the 1,049 assistance applications received, 551 were approved, amounting to RM7.15mil, including 138 applications for the central zone, which covers Selangor and the Federal Territory, worth RM2.1mil.

KESUMA Studying Proposal To Raise Retirement Age

Barnama

23-05-2025

Business
Barnama

KESUMA Studying Proposal To Raise Retirement Age

KLANG, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim. He said the matter was being examined by a special committee led by Kesuma's deputy secretary-general (Policy and International) Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar as it involved labour laws which fell under the ministry's purview. He said Kesuma would seek input and feedback from stakeholders, especially the public sector, workers, and employers, during the study to ensure compliance with international best practices. 'This committee will look at the suitability of raising the retirement age in Malaysia as there are pros and cons, along with certain challenges. However, within the ministry, part of labour market reforms involves reviewing all 28 existing labour laws. 'This is because some of these laws are outdated. We will look at ways to refine and harmonise them, and there are also (provisions) that we need to abolish or update,' he said after the central-level 2025 Union Affairs Development Grant (PHEKS) handover ceremony here today. Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 was among the issues requiring attention and careful consideration. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously proposed that the government consider raising the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65. Azalina, who made the suggestion in her personal capacity, said it would be a loss for individuals to retire at 60 when they were still energetic, productive and capable of contributing to the workforce. Regarding today's event, Sim said the government had allocated a total of RM10 million this year, up from RM5.8 million in 2024, marking the highest amount in the history of PHEKS implementation.

The Star

23-05-2025

Business
The Star

Kesuma studying proposal to raise retirement age, says Sim

KLANG: The Human Resources Ministry is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim. The matter was being examined by a special committee led by the ministry's deputy secretary-general (Policy and International) Mohd Shaharin Umar as it involved labour laws which fell under the ministry's purview. He said the study will seek input and feedback from stakeholders, especially the public sector, workers, and employers, to ensure compliance with international best practices. "This committee will look at the suitability of raising the retirement age as there are pros and cons, along with certain challenges. However, within the ministry, part of labour market reforms involves reviewing all 28 existing labour laws. "This is because some of these laws are outdated. We will look at ways to refine and harmonise them, and there are also provisions that we need to abolish or update," he said after the central zone 2025 Union Affairs Development Grant handover ceremony here on Friday (May 23). On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 was among the issues requiring attention and careful consideration. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had previously proposed that the government consider raising the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65. Azalina, who made the suggestion in her personal capacity, said it would be a loss for individuals to retire at 60 when they were still energetic, productive and capable of contributing to the workforce. Regarding Friday's event, Sim said the government had allocated RM10mil this year, up from RM5.8mil in 2024, marking the highest amount in the history of the grant. He said the move reflected the ministry's efforts to further strengthen the trade union movement in Malaysia, with the assistance to be used for training and educational programmes aimed at equipping union members with skills in areas such as management and leadership. "What we are introducing this year focuses on digitalisation, where we encourage unions to switch to computer technology and digitalisation," he said. Of the total 1,049 assistance applications received, 551 were approved, amounting to RM7.15mil, including 138 applications for the central zone level covering Selangor and the Federal Territory, worth RM2.1mil. - Bernama

Trade unions to receive up to RM50,000 under expanded scheme from May 12

Malay Mail

02-05-2025

Business
Malay Mail

Trade unions to receive up to RM50,000 under expanded scheme from May 12

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The Human Resources Ministry (KESUMA) will begin disbursing the Union Affairs Development Grant (PHEKS) starting May 12 to enable trade unions to carry out various programmes, including training initiatives to strengthen their respective organisations. Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said the total grant allocation has been increased to RM10 million this year, compared to RM5.8 million last year. 'With this increased allocation, we can expand the support or increase the amount each union receives. This time, it involves 551 unions. Previously, we provided between RM20,000 and RM50,000 depending on the size of the union. 'This grant is very meaningful for the unions, and we are providing it to support them in running their programmes,' he told reporters after the 2025 Labour Day Celebration and Cuepacs Gathering held here today. Also present were Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, Cuepacs president Datuk Dr Adnan Mat, and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. Abdul Rahman added that he and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong will take turns presenting the grants, starting in Sabah. Earlier, Abdul Rahman highlighted that the Ministry is committed to strengthening policies and workers' protection rights, noting that eight labour-related laws have been drafted and amended since last year. All of these Acts have now been passed in Parliament, marking a significant milestone for the country in reinforcing workers' rights, including the recent amendments to the Sabah and Sarawak Labour Ordinances,' he said. — Bernama

HR Ministry to distribute union affairs grant from May 12

Malaysiakini