Workers in Sarawak to enjoy equal rights, says HR minister

SARAWAK labour laws have been amended following the passing of the Sarawak Labour Ordinance Amendment Bill 2024 in Parliament.

The 1.46 million workers in this state will now enjoy equal rights similar to those throughout Malaysia, said Federal Minister for Human Resources Steven Sim.

"Amendments to Sarawak labour laws were tabled in the Dewan Rakyat and passed. Workers in Sarawak will now enjoy better benefits and protection.

"The existing state labour laws have not been amended for more than 20 years. We want to see workers in Sarawak and the rest of Malaysia enjoy equal rights and protection," he said in a statement.

On July 18, the Malaysian Trade Union Congress branch in Sarawak had taken the state government to task for continuously failing to upgrade its long-outdated state labour laws.

The state had repeatedly promised to upgrade its labour laws to be on par with that of the rest of the country but had failed to fulfill its promises, said MTUC Sarawak. - December 13, 2025