Sabah MTUC disappointed over delays on Sabah Labour Ordinance amendment tabling

KOTA KINABALU: Trade unions are disappointed with the postponement of the tabling of the Sabah Labour Ordinance amendment and hope it could be done during the current Parliament session.

“The decision to postpone the tabling of the amendments to March next year is a great disappointment to workers in Sabah who were confident that it would be passed in Parliament and gazetted by the end of the year,” said Sabah MTUC secretary Engrit Liaw

He said on Saturday (Nov 4) that the proposed amendments were very important for workers in the state as it would provide similar benefits already in place for workers in the peninsula who have long enjoyed such rights and benefits through the amendment of the Labor Act 1955.

“Why not speed up the amendment of the Sabah Labor Ordinance which has been admitted to be far behind the current Labor Act 1955,” he said.

He said the amendment was important to harmonise the employment laws in Sabah and the rest of the country.

On Wednesday (Nov 1), Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said that the draft Bill had been completed and was being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Chambers before presentation to the Cabinet.

The Amendment Bill was supposed to be tabled in November but was pushed back to ensure all labour-related matters are scrutinised, Mustapha said

He added that they needed more time for a complete and comprehensive review as it involved major changes to the 1958 ordinance that had only been amended once in 2005.

The amendment is expected to benefit 2.038 million workers and over 187,000 employers in Sabah.

Among the 16 proposed amendments included sexual harassment, prohibition of discrimination, forced labour, improving provisions on children and young persons and maternity and paternity leave, among others.

The proposed amendments would also include the standardisation of provisions under the Sabah Labour Ordinance with the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 and Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990.

Meanwhile, Liaw said that the amendments must be fast-tracked as even the Sabah Labour Advisory Council has yet to be established.