E Contrario

This year is the third consequntive year MTUC held its May Day Gathering in Dataran Merdeka. About 2000 workers assembled from 20:00hr to 22:30hr on May 1. This year, the crowd was much larger than past years and attended by a large contigency of migrant workers.

Last year, MTUC began actively organizing migrant workers. The joint effort of MTUC and General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) made good success in recruitment of Nepali migrant workers in certain trade unions.

Since the election of Syed Shahir as president in 2004, the new leadership of MTUC is becoming bolder in talking up a broad range of issues. MTUC has become more active in various campaigns: water privtization, election reforms, anti-fuel hike, anti-toll hike etc. The trade union center also changed its stand from anti-migrant labour to active inclusion of migrants into unions.

Some might see trade unionism should focuses on wages, working conditions and other industrial relations issues. Syed Shahir has departed from the former president Zainal Rampak who was careful in not venturing outside the ‘traditional’ union concerns.

In fact, there is no cut and dry division of different workers concerns. Many socio-political issues affect workers’ welfare just as important as the labour legislation. In the current Malaysian context, the demand for democracy is part and parcel of workers’ struggle. Without these basic democratic rights, one cannot expect the strengthening of labour movement and hence no substantial improvement of workers’ life.

The present MTUC leadership continues to place priority in industrial relations. MTUC has been for many years spearheading campaign for minimum wage. This year, the May Day gathering saw the emergence of a new solidarity between CUEPACS and MTUC. In a rare showing of unity, CUEPACS leaders attended MTUC’s May Day assembly this evening.

MTUC has declared its support for CUEPACS’ six-point memorandum to the PM that included a new salary scale, raising the retirement age to 60, etc. This marked a new opening for the cooperation of two workers’ federations.

CUEPAC has fixed a meeting with the PM on May 6 to submit its demand.

Syed Shahir delivering his speech at Dataran Merdeka