PUTRAJAYA: The enforcement of the Employment Act 1955 (Amendment) 2022, which was previously postponed, will be implemented on Jan 1, 2023, said Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar.
He said although there were calls from industries to extend the postponement period, there was also a need to enforce amendments to the Act.
“I think we should go on with this matter because this law was already passed in Parliament and most of the amendments are based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention,” said Sivakumar.
On Aug 26, then Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan announced the postponement of the enforcement of amendments to the Employment Act 1955 to Jan 1, 2023, from its earlier scheduled date of Sept 1.
Apart from reducing working hours from 48 to 45 hours per week, the amended law will also increase maternity leave from 60 days to 98 days and paternity leave from three days to seven days.
Sivakumar said under the amendment to the Employment Act 1955, the employers must obtain approval from the Director-General of the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) to hire foreign workers as stipulated under Section 60K(4).
According to him, Section 60K(4) will act as an effective initial screening in ensuring that employers employing foreign workers in Malaysia have a clean record in terms of compliance with labour standards.
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