Malaysia Deepens Cooperation With ITUC, UNI Global Union On Workers' Welfare - Ramanan

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has strengthened bilateral ties through meetings with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and UNI Global Union aimed at advancing social justice, social dialogue and workers’ welfare at the global level.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said the series of meetings provided an avenue for strategic discussions on labour policy direction and efforts to empower a fairer and more resilient employment ecosystem.

Ramanan said he shared various initiatives and reforms being undertaken by the Malaysian government to strengthen worker protection.

“These include the labour law reform agenda, enforcement measures to protect gig workers through the enactment of the Gig Workers Act 2025 (Act 872), implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2026-2030, as well as the introduction of the Non-Employment Injury Scheme (LINDUNG 24 JAM), which came into effect on June 1,” he said in a post on his official Facebook page.

The discussions also focused on preparations to address the impact of global crises and geopolitical uncertainties in West Asia, which have affected economic stability and the international labour market.

“Malaysia takes these developments seriously and has adopted a proactive approach by formulating various mitigation initiatives to ensure workers’ well-being continues to be safeguarded and the impact of the crises can be managed effectively,” he said.

According to the post, the Malaysian government, through the Human Resources Ministry, remains committed to upholding the principle of tripartism as the cornerstone of the industrial relations system to maintain industrial harmony.

The strategic cooperation was achieved through separate bilateral meetings held in conjunction with the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference, which is currently taking place.

The meeting with ITUC was attended by its general secretary, Luc Triangle, deputy general secretary Eric Manzi, political director Jeroen Beirnaert, and Asia-Pacific general secretary Shoya Yoshida.

The session with UNI Global Union, which marked the first meeting between the Malaysian government and the organisation, was attended by its general secretary Christy Hoffman, head of UNI Gaming Giedre Lelyte, senior policy adviser Ben Richards, and UNI Malaysia Labour Centre president Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal.

-- BERNAMA