Mtuc Committee Has No Mandate To Pick Geneva Delegates Ministry

---

 



The Human Resources Ministry has insisted that the Malaysian Trades Union Congress’ (MTUC) joint special committee has no right to appoint delegates to represent workers at international forums.
It added that the committee cannot make policy decisions, and was set up specifically to hold elections for MTUC leadership.
ADS“Moreover, the joint special committee’s nominations to the International Labour Conference (ILC) are beyond the powers granted by the court and were objected to by several MTUC members,” it said in a statement today.
The ministry said the selection of the ILC delegates was done transparently, in line with International Labour Organisation guidelines and with advice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers on MTUC’s legal status.
“Therefore, any accusations that the government is deliberately blocking the participation of worker representatives are baseless, misleading, and malicious,” the ministry said.
It urged MTUC to complete its re-election process as soon as possible to protect the reputation of union movements and to ensure complete participation in next year’s ILC.
The ministry said this after questions were raised about the absence of worker representatives in Malaysia’s delegation to the ILC, which is being held from June 2-13 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The delegation normally comprises a tripartite of representatives for workers, employers, and the government.
MTUC internal crisis
However, MTUC is currently grappling with an internal crisis, which culminated in a consent judgement at the Court of Appeal on Feb 21.
The order reportedly called for a joint special committee to be set up with five members: Two from unions aligned with Effendy Abdul Ghani, two from unions aligned with J Solomon, and one person appointed by both groups.
The committee is to hold a MTUC special delegates conference within 90 days to elect a new leadership line-up and oversee the MTUC’s day-to-day administration in the interim.
According to the Human Resources Ministry, the election was supposed to be held in May, but was postponed until Aug 10. This meant it still does not have valid leaders to represent workers on any platform, including the ILC.
Previously, when contacted by Malaysiakini, Solomon, who now chairs the joint special committee, denied knowledge of any commitment to hold the election in May.
In a press release on Wednesday, he also accused the Human Resources Ministry of “mischief” by refusing to submit the names of its worker representatives to the ILC.
“The Human Resources Ministry withheld the names of the workers’ representative list from the ILC to avoid scrutiny of actions of the minister and Human Resources Ministry in the past year, which is contrary to Convention 98 in relation to interference in the collective bargaining process and conniving with employers,” he claimed. - Mkini

---