Trade unions laud work from home arrangement, call for guidelines

By Muhammad Saufee Rosman & Durratul Ain Ahmad Fuad

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 -- The trade union proposes that the government provides guidelines involving employers and workers in line with the objective of making successful the working from home arrangement as outlined in the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA).

Welcoming the government's initiative in providing the Flexible Workplace Arrangement incentives under PENJANA, the Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) believed the guidelines should be put in place by the government to facilitate the affairs of all parties and protect the rights of those working from home.

UNI-MLC president Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal said, for example, it was to prevent undesirable events such as the sudden termination of workers as the culture of working from home could be practiced as a new custom after this.

“Flexibility in this work arrangement is a new culture, so trust between employers and workers should be a major matter because it involves both parties.

"For example, how an employer wants to create a KPI (key performance index) for salary increase or bonus, this is a big question and there must be a prudent approach," he said when contacted by Bernama today.

In concert with the opinion, Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) president  Adnan Mat, said the importance of the guidelines was aimed at improving the quality of work including facing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) and any crisis.

“In this regard (like the COVID-19 pandemic), people's safety has always been a priority for the government. If such a situation occurs again in the future, work from home should be implemented in all sectors including public and private.

"In fact, this is a good idea because all sectors can still operate even from home," he said.

On the productivity of working from home, Adnan said the department heads should play a role in helping their employees perform their jobs more efficiently.

"Monitoring by the head of the department is important to ensure that all involved are in compliance with work from home guidelines," he said.

On June 5, to revive the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced PENJANA which outlined the three pillars of empowering the people, boosting business and stimulating the economy.

Under the auspices of empowering the people, the short-term plan is also aimed at building an eco-system that can help workers get back to work and adapt to new work norms through the Flexible Work Arrangement Incentives.

The incentive, for example, encouraged additional tax deductions on eligible expenditures for employers who implement or make improvements to existing flexible work arrangements beginning July. 

In addition, income exemption of up to RM5,000 for workers who receive benefits in the form of mobile phones, tablets, laptops from employers beginning July 1st.

-- BERNAMA