KUALA LUMPUR, January 10 – The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) has urged the government to take strict action against any employer who violates the Employment Act 1955 (Amendment) 2022 until prosecution is necessary. MTUC Secretary General, Kamarul Baharin Mansor said, this is because there are employers changing the terms of service so that the working hours are 45 hours.
According to him, workers will no longer be paid wages for rest time after the new amendment is made. Before the amendment to the work act, the employer paid wages for rest time but after the amendment was made, the employer no longer did so. The behavior of this employer has caused the anger of the employees because the length of time they have been with the company has not changed,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The media reported that the government agreed to implement the Employment Act 1955 (Amendment) 2022 on 1 January 2023. The amendment involves the reduction of working hours from 48 hours to 45 hours a week, the addition of maternity leave, paternity leave, flexible hours and much more has given a new light to the workers. Kamarul Baharin added that after a week of enforcement, there were complaints from employees and trade unions about the employer’s failure to make amendments in line with the new act.
The implementation of the reduced working hours to 45 hours a week is still not implemented. Employers do not make appropriate preparations because they expect the government to delay the implementation once again while the reduction of working hours is to provide a balance between work and life (work life balance),” he said.
