KOTA KINABALU: Amendments to Sabah’s Labour Ordinance (SLO) need to be expedited to protect the welfare of employees, says Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Sabah secretary Engrit Liaw.
She said these amendments are vital so that employees in Sabah can enjoy the same benefits as those in Peninsular Malaysia.
She said this suggestion comes in support of state Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud’s call to amend Chapter 67 of the SLO last month.
“MTUC Sabah is urging that the state government bring this matter to the next state assembly sitting in August and to pass the amendments there,” she said in a statement on Sunday (July 9).
Liaw said amendments to the Ordinance would allow Sabah employees to enjoy better benefits following the changes made in the peninsula on Jan 1 of this year.
“The last time it was changed was 18 years ago, in 2005,” she said.
She said the changes are needed to fit the current environment in the state, where there should be a proper work and family balance and added that there should be more flexibility in working arrangements for all workers.
Liaw added that a Sabah Labour Advisory Council (SLAC) should be established to better protect the rights of workers.
A few months back, there were growing calls for the SLO to be amended including to follow the federal law where a mandatory seven-day paternity leave is granted for fathers with newborns.
This comes after a man claimed that the absence of paternity leave had contributed to him not being able to take care of his wife who just gave birth to their child.
His wife died about a week after giving birth to their child, and the devastated father who came home to his crying baby lying beside a lifeless mother took to social media to air his grievances.
