LABOUR BULLETIN : February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Employers arrested after Indonesian maid dies following alleged abuse

GEORGE TOWN: A 38-year-old Indonesian maid was found dead at her employers' house in Jelutong.

Police are investigating the employers for allegations of abuse.

The victim, known as Jubaedah, died at 11am on Saturday, with her employers claiming she had fallen at home.

However, a postmortem revealed that she had sustained several injuries, such as fractures of her ribs, and bruises.

The employers, a married couple in their 40s, have been arrested by police to assist in investigations.

The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

source:::http://www.thestar.com.my

Monday, February 27, 2017

Observe proper downsizing procedures, bosses urged

Downsizing is part and parcel of any business operation, but a labour expert has urged bosses to observe proper procedures and act according to the law when doing so.

Datuk T. Thavalingam (pic), a lawyer who co-wrote Employment and Industrial Relations Law Malaysia, said firms had undertaken such exercises during economic downturns for the purpose of rationalising its manpower.

“Retrenchment is justifiable in any business operation as the court recognises that it is a management prerogative to re-organise its business, as long as it is done in good faith,” he said.

Lebih 37,600 pekerja diberhentikan pada 2016

Seramai 37,699 orang pekerja diberhentikan pada tahun lepas dengan 39.4 peratus diberhentikan secara pemberhentian sukarela (VSS) manakala 60.6 peratus melalui pemberhentian biasa.

Kementerian Sumber Manusia berkata berdasarkan statistik pemberhentian pekerja yang dilaporkan kepada Jabatan Tenaga Kerja (JTK), majoriti pemberhentian melibatkan 32,552 pekerja tempatan (86.3 peratus) manakala bakinya merupakan pekerja asing.

"Jumlah pemberhentian pekerja bagi tahun lepas sebenarnya adalah lebih rendah berbanding 2015," kata kementerian itu dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Nufam wants action on airlines still owing EPF and Socso payments

The National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia called on authorities to act against airlines that have yet to pay Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributions to former employees.

MALAYSIA::: Foreign bank to lay off 60, claims union

A leading international bank is set to dismiss 60 low-level staff in Malaysia, claims the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE).

NUBE secretary-general J Solomon said the bank was trimming down its workforce by offering a voluntary separation scheme (VSS). However, he added, selected workers were bullied into accepting the VSS.

“The bank is attempting to sack 60 of its employees by offering a VSS, which actually isn’t voluntary. Staff members were told to accept the VSS, otherwise they would be transferred.

Bank asing ‘paksa’ staf berhenti secara ‘sukarela’?

Monday, February 20, 2017

MTUC calls on EPF to declare same dividend as 2015

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Bangladesh: Free jailed unionists and workers

Since December 2016 at least 26 trade unionists and garment workers have been jailed for trade union activity in Bangladesh, following demands to increase the minimum wage. Join IndustriALL Global Union in calling on the Bangladeshi government for their immediate release.

Most of the workers and trade unionists have been jailed for participating in a strike in late 2016. The government of Bangladesh is using the strike as an opportunity for a broad crackdown on labour, arresting other unionists not involved in the strike. Many union leaders have gone into hiding for fear of being arrested and union offices have been closed down.

“The events in December and the current climate of union oppression are an alarming step backwards for Bangladesh. We must fight back to defend the jailed workers and basic trade union rights in Bangladesh,” says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches. “I am urging you to stand with the jailed Bangladeshi unionists. Every day counts so take action now.”

IndustriALL is coordinating with UNI and ITUC a campaign to demand their immediate release and an end to the repression of trade unions.

There are multiple ways you can participate:

Hold an action at a Bangladesh embassy or consulate in your country. Make sure to send photos or video of the action to press@industriall-union.org. In some cities efforts to organize embassy visits are already underway. If you are interested in participating or organizing a visit in your city, please contact Adam Lee at alee@industriall-union.org, who can help to link you with other interested unions in the area.
Either deliver the attached protest letter to the Bangladeshi embassy or send it directly to the Bangladeshi government (in English only). Put it on your union’s letterhead, insert your union’s name in the first sentence, add a signature and send it to the email addresses listed at the top of the letter.
Send the attached letter to your government asking it to demand the Bangladesh government free the jailed trade unionists and respect workers’ rights.
Take photos with the attached solidarity sign and post them online with hashtag #EveryDayCounts and send them to press@industriall-union.org
Sign the LabourStart online petition.

Background

The Bangladeshi government and garment factory owners are using the wage strike as a pretext to crack down on the labour movement.

Wages in Bangladesh’s garment industry are among the lowest in the world. It is unacceptable that the demand to increase the minimum wage is met with arbitrary detentions, suspended production at 59 factories, the firing of well over 1,600 workers and police cases against 600 workers and trade union leaders.

Garment workers in Bangladesh have the unequivocal right to organize and must be paid a living wage on which they can survive.

Nearly four years have passed since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building. Considerable progress has been made in the area of fire and building safety, primarily through the Accord, the Government of Bangladesh has done tragically little to guarantee the respect for the rule of law, including labour law and international labour standards.

Sign the LabourStart petition

Sign the LabourStart petition
Sign the LabourStart petition

https://www.labourstartcampaigns.net

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Pra Kongres Ke IV , KSPI Gelar Seminar Nasional

Jakarta,KSPI – Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia ( KSPI ) mengelar seminar nasional pra kongres IV pagi ini di Jakarta.

Dalam keterangan kepada media, Sekretaris Jenderal KSPI Muhammad Rusdi mengatakan KSPI akan mengadakan seminar pra Kongres pada 7 Februari 2017

” KSPI akan mengelar seminar pra kongres yang di mulai pukul 08:00 WIB s/d 12:00 WIB yang terbagi dalam beberapa sesi ” Ujar M Rusdi.

” Sesi pertama Direktur Utama BPJS Kesehatan akan bicara ttg Problem & Tantangan BPJS Kesehatan, Direktur Utama BPJS Ketenagakerjaan,akan bicara ttg Problem dan Tantangan BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, DR. Ichsanudin Nursi, Akan bicara tentang Upah Daya Beli, Komisi IX akan bicara ttg TKA ( masih dalam konfirmasi) ” tambahnya

Sedangkan Sesi II Pukul 10.30-12.30
Industri All akan bicara “Trend Industrialisasi & Global Supply Chain, Elias Hallaj dari Australia Labor Party akan bicara ttg Serikat Buruh dan Partai Buruh, Dari Konfederasi Turki sharing ttg Gerakan Buruh & Program Welfare State di Turki

” Sedangkan dalam Pembukaan Kongres IV KSPI pada pukul 13.30, insya Allah Akan hadir dan memberi ucapan Selamat / Sambutan dari eksernal yaitu Koordinator BEM SI mewakili Mahasiswa, Serikat Petani Indonesia mewakili Petani, KSPSI AGN – Ilhamsyah KPBI – mewakili Buruh, Aruna Salam, aktivis buruh Malaysia ” ujar M Rusdi

Pada kesempatan ini juga rencanya akan hadir beberapa tokoh nasional yang hadir untuk memberikan sambutan antara lain akan di isi oleh DR Rizal Ramli,Prabowo Subianto, Direktor ILO Jakarta, Sekjend ITUC Asia Pacific, Noriyuku Suzuki.