HR MINISTER CALLS TO END GLOBAL DISCRIMINATION VIA INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE

PETALING JAYA: In his speech delivered during the 112th Session International Labour Conference (ILC) on June 12, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim (pic) said that a new governance framework is needed to empower everyone and not one that disenfranchises them.

Sim had led the Malaysian delegation to the ILC, which was held from June 10-14 in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Considering the challenges in this age of crises, there is a critical need for a renewed social contract that delivers social justice for everyone,” he said, reiterating that it should empower both men and women young and elderly, including those with disabilities, of all races and from different religions.

He further elaborated that under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, the Madani Economic Framework that was launched a year ago is a reflection of the Islamic governance practised in the city of Madinah during the Prophet Mohammed’s reign.

There, the Prophet established a social contract based on common prosperity, justice and solidarity.

“Under the Madani framework, Malaysia is pursuing new areas of growth,” he added, “in hi-tech sectors, in AI, in energy transition, in the green economy.

“Last year, we recorded a historic high in the value of new investments approved into our country.”

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He said last month Malaysia announced that the government will be extending a full spectrum of social security protection under the Employees Social Security Act ‒ which was previously enjoyed only by Malaysian workers ‒ to all workers including migrant workers.

“In other words, now migrant workers like their Malaysian counterparts, will also be covered for invalidity, a 24-hour social security protection scheme.”

Sim also called for life-long, accessible skills training to be recognised as a fundamental right, saying that “accessible skills training must be made available to support career advancement and transition.”

He also mentioned that Malaysia will be hosting a National Training Week, where more than 25,000 skills courses will be provided for free to over 200,000 people.

Sim submitted the ILO ratification document on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Convention (also known as C155) to ILO director-general Gilbert F. Houngbo on June 11.

The ratification has been part of the Malaysian government’s measures to strengthen aspects of OSH in line with the Cabinet meeting decision on May 8.

Present at the event were Malaysian Employers Federation president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman and Malaysian Trades Union Congress president Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani, who are equal partners representing the Government.

Part of the C155 clause includes the latest amendment to Act 514, which stresses the employer’s responsibility to ensure workplace safety and expands the legislative coverage of Act 514 from the previous 10 sectors to all economic sectors.

It also includes the improvement towards safety and health training at the workplace and introduces provisions for the right of workers to isolate themselves from high-risk workplaces.

The Ministry has previously said that the ratification will help elevate the country’s efforts towards achieving target 8.8 under the sustainable development goals (SDG), which emphasises the protection of labour rights and promotion of a safe and secure work environment for all workers.