Sarawak deputy minister slams claim of govt inaction on amending state labour law
Published on: Thursday, March 21, 2024
By: FMT
Deputy minister Gerawat Gala says there have been ongoing efforts, including discussions with stakeholders and federal authorities, on amendments to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: Sarawak deputy labour, immigration and project monitoring minister Gerawat Gala has dismissed a claim that the state government neglected efforts to amend the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (SLO).
Describing the claim as “misleading and mischievous”, Gerawat said the state cabinet approved amendments to the SLO in September 2021, to ensure compliance with international labour standards.
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“The SLO is a federal law which only applies in Sarawak, and any amendments to the SLO have to be approved by Parliament, not the state legislative assembly,” he said in a statement.
Gerawat was responding to Sarawak Bank Employees Union CEO Andrew Lo, who on Monday said workers were upset that the state government had yet to agree to amend the SLO by claiming that it required prior consultation on future changes.
Lo said the bank employees in Sarawak were planning to protest on Labour Day (May 1) over the delay.
In his statement, Gerawat said Sarawak had requested a provision mandating the state’s agreement for future SLO amendments, in line with its rights on non-resident worker entry and specific laws like Article 161E(4) of the Federal Constitution and Section 65 of the Immigration Act.
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“This prompted a series of discussions and engagements with the human resources ministry, as the provision was not agreeable to the ministry.
“We recently submitted to the ministry an alternative provision requiring prior consultation with the relevant state authority for any future amendments to the SLO,” he said.
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Gerawat added that the Sarawak government had kept the Malaysian Trades Union Congress informed about the progress of SLO amendments, and that it understood the reasons for the delay.
“The state government together with all relevant stakeholders made serious and consistent efforts to get the SLO amended, but the human resources ministry in Putrajaya and Parliament have the final decision,” he said.
“We hope the SLO amendment will be tabled in Parliament together with similar amendments to the Sabah Labour Ordinance in the next parliamentary sitting.”
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