Kota Kinabalu: Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim Chee Keong said Sabah and Sarawak workers cannot enjoy lesser legal protection than their peninsula counterparts.
“All workers in Malaysia must be treated equally. With the enforcement of the ordinance amendments, we have ended two decades of injustice,” he said, during a working visit, recently.
Steven stressed the importance of direct engagement with workers and union leaders, a practice he aims to instil throughout the Ministry.
“Face-to-face engagement must become a continued practice for every Minister of Human Resources. I hope that even after I no longer hold this position, unions will continue to advocate for this tradition to be upheld.
“Such visits are crucial as they involve senior Ministry officials, allowing us to hear firsthand the challenges at the grassroots level. We should not wait for workers to come to us with complaints; we must go to them,” he said.
The visit marked his first following the enforcement of amendments to the Sabah and Sarawak Labour Ordinance, which came into effect on May 1, 2025.
The amendments to the Labour Ordinance provide direct benefits to workers, including a reduction of working hours by 3 hours to 45 hours per week, 98 days of maternity leave, seven days of paternity leave, and an expansion of the ordinance’s coverage to all workers, regardless of salary, unlike the previous limit of RM2,500.
He praised SHRREU for its courage and perseverance in fighting for the rights of hospitality and restaurant workers, a struggle that began in 2013.
The union has since taken its case to the Federal Court to defend workers’ rights regarding service charges and minimum wages.
“From just six members, SHRREU now boasts more than 400 members and its own office. This is proof that when workers unite, they can become strong and bold in demanding their rights,” he said.
The Minister also encouraged unions to negotiate starting salaries above the minimum wage, highlighting the importance of written Collective Agreements (CAs) between employers and unions in safeguarding workers’ rights.
“The minimum wage is set by the government for workers who do not have a CA. If there is a CA, the starting salary must be above the minimum wage. This is my message to all employers and union leaders,” he emphasized.
Steven congratulated SHRREU’s Secretary-General, Mohd Shahbuddin Abdullah, on his appointment as a permanent member of the Sabah Labour Advisory Council (SLAC), established on May 13, 2025, after years of advocacy – strengthening the voice of Sabah’s workers at the national policy level.
“We not only want laws to be consistent across the country but also to ensure that worker representatives and unions sit together at the table for national labour policy negotiations,” he added.
Daily Express Malaysia. (2025, June 10). Equal legal protection of Sabah, Sarawak workers: Enforcement of amended Sabah labour law ends 20 years of injustice. Daily Express Malaysia. Retrieved from https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/260064/equal-legal-protection-of-sabah-sarawak-workers-enforcement-of-amended-sabah-labour-law-ends-20‑years-of‑injustice/
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