JOHOR BAHRU: A total of RM1.5 million has been approved for 114 applications from the Southern Zone under the 2025 Trade Union Affairs Programme (PHEKS), said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad.
He said the amount marked a significant increase from the RM674,000 disbursed for 85 applications in the same zone in 2024, reflecting the growing participation in the ministry’s empowerment programmes.
“For the Southern Zone, which covers Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, 195 applications amounting to over RM3 million have been received so far,” he added.
“Out of the total, 114 applications have been approved, involving an allocation of RM1,505,462,” he told reporters after officiating the Southern Zone PHEKS 2025 Assistance presentation ceremony here today.
Also present were JHEKS director-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab, Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS) deputy president II Azman Shah Abdul Rahman, and Union Network International-Malaysian Liaison Council (UNI-MLC) president Datuk Mohammed Shafie BP Mammal.
Abdul Rahman said Johor received the highest allocation, amounting to RM703,565 for 61 applications, followed by Negeri Sembilan with RM441,900 for 32 applications, and Melaka with RM359,998 for 21 applications.
He also emphasised that the annual allocation to trade unions under the PHEKS programme has steadily increased over the past three years, underscoring the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the role of unions as strategic partners in the national labour ecosystem.
“In 2023, the government allocated RM2.6 million. This increased to RM5.8 million in 2024, and for this year, RM10 million has been set aside to empower trade unions nationwide.
“We hope this figure will continue to grow, surpassing RM10 million in 2026,“ he said.
At the same event, Abdul Rahman also presented assistance to union representatives and officiated the launch of two research publications on trade unions titled ‘The Role of Trade Unions in Combating Forced Labour Issue in Malaysia’ and ‘SSPA: Heading to a More Secure Retirement’.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA), in a statement, disclosed that trade union membership in Malaysia has now surpassed 1 million, with 1,038,435 registered members across 762 unions as of 2024.