Unions: Hold talks on TPPA

KUALA LUMPUR: Several labour unions want the Government to hold dialogues with them on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agree­ment (TPPA) involving workers’ issues.

This was because information released on the TPPA was still vague and incomplete, Union Network International-Malaysian Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) president Moha­med Shafie BP Mammal said.

“The TPPA has several clauses which affect the people and country, especially workers, among them, the entry of foreign workers,” he said.

“Many labour issues are not sta­ted such as minimum wage, total working hours, pregnant women’s rights and facilities, union protection and so on. These should have been included in the TPPA,” he said.

MTUC secretary-general N. Gopal Kishnam also questioned why there were no protection and efforts to promote union activities in the agreement.

Gopal claimed that the TPPA ap­­peared to reduce the role of la­bour unions as issues involving trade and investment were dealt with more compared to labour issues.

“The MTUC is worried that Malay­sia may have to amend workers’ rights in order to comply with the terms set in the TPPA.

“So the Government should be firm in not allowing foreign companies to demand various regulations which can adversely affect workers in Malaysia,” he said.

Asked on the easing of conditions on foreign workers to hold posts in labour unions if the TPPA was agreed upon, Gopal said it would not create any problem as foreign workers would also protect and represent their colleagues.

“What is happening now is that em­­ployers do not allow foreign workers to be union members as this is not allowed by the Immi­gration Department,” he said.

He said MTUC did not object to foreign workers becoming union members and, in fact, welcomed them on condition that the interest of local workers was not jeopardised.

Malaysia and 11 other countries namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the United States and Vietnam completed negotiations on the TPPA on Oct 5.

According to information found on the International Trade and Industry Ministry’s website, the agreement does not concede the rights on entry of foreign labour including professionals, which would be controlled by Malaysian laws and based on industry needs.

The chapter on labour in the TPPA contained areas on workers’ welfare and rights, including clau­ses on minimum wage, security and health which have already been implemented in Malaysia. — Bernama

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