KUCHING, May 21: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) calls on the government to stop Malaysian Employers Federation’s (MEF) bullying and blackmailing tactics to gain more concessions.
According to MTUC secretary-general J. Solomon, the MEF warning is a blatant attempt by employers to shy away from their responsibility of doing all they can in helping the government ensure unemployment is kept to the minimum as efforts are made to push the economy.
He said that MTUC also sees the MEF warning as an attempt to put pressure and even blackmail the government into dishing out more concessions and financial assistance to the business community in exchange for keeping lowly paid workers.
“The MEF members who are laying off workers and making threats to retrench even more employees after Hari Raya are committing an unconscientious and dishonourable act.
“Even after being given billions of ringgit in financial assistance and wage subsidies, these employers are clearly just thinking of their own self-interest,” he said in a statement.
Solomon said it was regrettable that MEF issued the statement just one day after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had urged employers to do all they can to keep workers in their jobs as all quarters needed to sacrifice and do their part in helping Malaysia recover from the Covid-19 crisis.
He opined that MEF’s warning of massive retrenchments clearly showed its insolence against the palace, in what it called its overzealousness to pander to the selfish needs of its members.
“The MEF also demands that employers be allowed to lower the EPF contributions from 11 per cent to 5 per cent and for new laws to be enacted to reduce their overheads are blatant attempts to profit from the Covid-19 pandemic and is most inhumane,” he added.
Solomon urged the government to take swift action on the matter and not be bullied into giving more concessions that will only increase the sufferings of workers.
He pointed the government must also hold MEF accountable and demand full transparency for the billions of ringgit they have been handed to ensure that businesses keep afloat and workers keep their jobs.
“It is high time the government delivers a stern message to employers by introducing Emergency Employment Regulations to save the employers and tell them that it will not allow itself to be pressured into giving more goodies nor will it stand by idly and let employees be subjugated by unscrupulous bosses,” he said.—DayakDaily.
