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KUCHING, July 9: The draft amendment to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance 1959, incorporating amendments to the Employment Act as well as applicable provisions of the law on minimum housing standards for workers, has already been agreed to by the Sarawak Cabinet.
Several rounds of meetings with the relevant stakeholders, such as employees and employers representatives, industry organisations, relevant ministries, and agencies, have been conducted to get their input and consensus on the amendments.
“The amendments include increased maternity leave from 60 to 98 days, new provision for paternity leave of 7 days, reduction of weekly working hours from 48 to 45 hours, and new provisions against sexual harassment,” said Deputy Minister in Premier’s Office Datuk Gerawat Gala (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) in a statement.
He said there were a few provisions in the draft amendment which needed further discussion with the Ministry for Human Resources and Federal Attorney General.
“We target to reach resolutions on these few provisions by early August. Then (we will) submit the draft amendment to the Ministry of Human Resources, who will get the Federal Attorney General to prepare the Amendment Bill for tabling in Parliament,” said Gerawat.
He is responding to a statement by Sarawak Bank Employees Union CEO Andrew Lo, who said it was an insult that workers in Kelantan, controlled by PAS for decades, enjoy better benefits and protection than workers in the high-income state of Sarawak.
He said the Sarawak Labour Ordinance 1959, a federal law, could only be amended in Parliament once the Sarawak Cabinet agreed to it.
As Sarawak has become a high-income State by the World Bank’s standards, Lo said there was no more excuse not to amend the Sarawak Labour Ordinance to be on par with the Employment Act 1955, the labour law governing Peninsular Malaysia. — DayakDaily
