KESUMA Appoints Three New Industrial Court Chairmen

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) today announced the appointment of three new Industrial Court Chairmen (MPM), namely Jeyaseelan T Anthony, S Vanithamany and Arun Kumar S Kanesin.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said the appointment to the four-year position has completed the filling of the chairmen position at MPM.

He said Jeyaseelan and S Vanithamany's appointments were effective Oct 17, while Arun Kumar's appointment starts on Nov 18.

"In order to achieve the set KPI (key performance indicator), one of the initiatives taken is to appoint three chairmen with extensive experience in the field of labour law. It is hoped that this appointment will speed up the handling of cases and further increase the number of cases resolved at MPM," he said in a statement today.

Sim said Arun Kumar, 45, created history when he became the youngest chairman appointed to the position as the previous record was held by Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, who was appointed to the position in 2007 when he was 39 years old.

He said the appointments were a significant achievement and marked a generational change in the Industrial Court's leadership.

"This combination of young leadership and those with experience will continue to strengthen MPM's efficiency in handling labour cases quickly and more effectively," he said.

A check on MPM's official website revealed that 20 chairpersons, 12 men and eight women, have been appointed so far.

The MPM formed under the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (Act 177) is a tribunal and a single body whose role is to decide cases involving layoffs, collective agreements and industrial disputes between employers, employees and relevant trade unions.

The main focus of the MPM reform process is to shorten the length of the court process, reduce the MPM and Labour Court cases backlog and improve facilities and amenities in both courts.

-- BERNAMA