Two women appointed as Industrial Court chairmen

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of two women as the new Industrial Court chairmen will not only fill in the long overdue vacancies but also surpass the 30% quota of women appointed to the Industrial Court, says Steven Sim.

The Human Resources Minister said that the two new chairmen – former practising lawyers Pravin Kaur Jessy, 52, from Penang and Chow Siew Lin, 59, from Kuala Lumpur – will also be awarded four-year contracts to ensure “security of tenure”.

Pravin is also the first woman from the Sikh community to be appointed to the position.

“This longer tenure will enable them to be more efficient in handling cases at the Industrial Court.

“This is the first time we have had such a high percentage of women appointed to the Industrial Court chairman positions—out of the current 22, eight are women.

“They were appointed as we wanted to give more opportunity to women with qualifications. What I expect – regardless of their gender – is for them to uphold the equity in court,” said Sim to the media.

Newly appointed chairman and mother of triplets, Pravin, when met after the announcement, said that after 29 years of practising in employment law and industrial relations, the appointment seemed like a natural progression to her career.

“The laws are all there, but the wheels of justice could move faster. With the changes in laws, such as the minimum retirement age, things need to move faster.

“Otherwise, if the process is too slow, claimants will be left out of what is due to them.

“I hope that I will have the support of the staff as well.

“I have seen the side of the claimants, and now I will be on the other side of actually being able to handle these cases. It will give me a better overview.

“I hope to judge the matters brought to me appropriately and ensure that equity and conscience continue to prevail in the Industrial Court.

“I have lived in Penang all my life, and uprooting myself to Kuala Lumpur is something that I am looking forward to,” said Pravin.

Meanwhile, newly appointed Industrial Court chairman Chow started her legal career as a litigation lawyer.

Prior to her appointment to the Industrial Court, she practised in litigation matters, including industrial relations, conveyancing, commercial, and other matters.