KEPALA BATAS: The Bill to amend the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969, aimed at enabling 24-hour protection for workers, is expected to be tabled in Parliament by year-end, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
He said the Cabinet has approved the Bill and the ministry is preparing the draft amendment.
“This has been a long-standing struggle championed by the trade union movement and supported by our partners like the Malaysian Employers Federation to cover workers beyond just working hours,” he said.
Sim noted that protection is currently limited to incidents related to employment during working hours, including commuting to and from work.
“If a worker has finished work and takes their child out for dinner, any mishap that occurs then is not covered.
“This is a major gap, especially when only 40% of Malaysians are protected under private insurance,” he said, adding that there is a need to ensure workers receive comprehensive and sufficient protection.
“They must be protected not only during working hours but also beyond, because they still need to return to work the next day,” he said at the National Trade Union Assembly here yesterday.
Sim also said initiatives had been rolled out to strengthen worker protection, training and trade union solidarity.
The first is the opening of the Kesuma One-Stop Labour Centre, where workers and employers can access the ministry’s services under one roof, he said.
“The centre will enhance services to facilitate workers as well as our partners and employers in obtaining services from the ministry.
“We have started in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Sabah. If successful, this initiative will be expanded nationwide,” he said.
For the second initiative, Sim said 100 participants from three major labour groups would be roped in for a free Industrial Relations (IR) training programme, which usually costs RM3,000 per person.
The groups are the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) and the Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNIMLC).
“We want to ensure that more IR practitioners are available to support workers in handling claims, especially at the Industrial Court,” Sim said.
He also described the resolution of the long-standing internal crisis within MTUC as a boost to workers’ solidarity.
“I am grateful that the internal conflict has finally been resolved.
“With a new leadership, I believe the union will continue to champion workers’ rights,” he said while announcing a RM100,000 allocation to MTUC.
He added that UNIMLC and Cuepacs also received RM50,000 and RM100,000, respectively.
The assembly was attended by 3,000 representatives from trade unions and agencies under the Human Resources Ministry.
Also present were the ministry’s deputy secretary-general (policy and international) Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar, MTUC president Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor, Cuepacs president Datuk Dr Adnan Mat and Trade Union Affairs Department secretary-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab.
At the event, Dr Adnan was awarded the Human Resources Ministry Special Award while National Union of the Teaching Profession president Aminuddin Awang received the Trade Union Personality Award.
Three recipients of the Exemplary Trade Union Award for the public, private and statutory board sector were Perak Islamic Religious Department Support Staff Union, Kelantan Water Workers Union Sdn Bhd and Peninsular Malaysia Inland Revenue Board Support Service Employees Union.
Lo Tern Chern. (2025, September 7). Bill on 24/7 worker protection may be tabled by year‑end. The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/09/07/bill-on-247-worker-protection-may-be-tabled-by-year-end
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