Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) welcomed the proposal to establish a Sabah Labour Advisory Council (SLAC) to address labour issues in the State, as mooted by Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud.
Sabah FMM Chairman James Ha said it is high time for the State Government to set up the Council.
“The role of SLAC is perhaps more important now than ever and should be implementation promptly, given that the Employment Act (Amendment) 2022 now enforced in the peninsula is affecting the Sabah Labour Ordinance,” he said in a statement, Thursday.
“In the context of Sabah Maju Jaya Development Plan 2021-2025, SLAC can guide our economy and employment recovery plans with inclusive, informed solutions for the benefit of the State.”
He said a tripartite dialogue is the bedrock of labour and employment.
“When dialogue takes place reliably and consistently, it can contribute greatly towards achieving desired status of high income state and creating sustainable jobs for local youths.
“Taking the last implementation of Minimum Wage Order 2022 as example, lack of effective dialogues with the Federal Government caused many local manufacturers, especially SMIs, to suffer additional heavy burden from a few hundred to a few thousand ringgit per month,” he said.
The Sabah Labour Advisory Council, he said, can play a pivotal role by advising state ministers on all issues relating to labour and employment, including the labour market, human resource development, promotion and collective bargaining and review of the operation and enforcement of legislation relating to employment.
FMM has been the voice of the Malaysian manufacturing sector since 1968.
Representing over 10,000 member companies (3,000 direct and 7,000 indirect) from the manufacturing supply chain, FMM is actively engaged with the Government and its key agencies at Federal, State and local levels.
FMM is also well-linked with international organisations, Malaysian businesses and civil society.
Apart from benefiting from FMM’s advocacy, FMM members enjoy value-added services, including training, business networking and trade opportunities as well as regular information updates.
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