Malaysia and ILO strengthen commitment to industrial harmony at landmark conference

KUALA LUMPUR (ILO News) – Malaysia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have strengthened their commitment to promote harmonious industrial relations in the country.

The 2-day conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 24-25 September 2024 saw more than 200 representatives from Malaysia’s workers’ and employers’ organizations, government agencies, as well as other stakeholders discuss opportunities and challenges relating to industrial relations and labour dispute resolution practices in the country.

The “National Showcase of Industrial Harmony 2024 (NASH 2024)” was co-organized by the Department of Industrial Relations under the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources in collaboration with the ILO’s Labour Law and Industrial Relations Reform (LLR) project in Malaysia. 

Speaking at the event, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, Datuk Azman Bin Mohd Yusof, said: “It is always our hope that today's events with the theme, “Empowering Industrial Relations in The World of Work”, will continue to fuel the spirit of tripartite cooperation between Government, Employers, Employees and their trade unions with the desire to maintain and create industrial harmony in the workplace”.

Malaysia’s industrial relations landscape is undergoing major changes brought about by recent amendments to key pieces of labour legislation.  These include the Industrial Relations Amendment Act 2020 and the Trade Unions Amendment Act 2024, which came into effect on 15 September 2024. The amendments are introduced with the objective of ensuring that Malaysian labour laws comply with International Labour Standards, particularly the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, as adopted in 1998 and amended in 2022

Aimed at promoting and strengthening industrial harmony in the workplace and enhancing compliance with employment and industrial relations laws, the event also served as a platform for sharing best practices and discussing the application of international labour standards in addressing workplace disputes.

“This important event brings together the Malaysian government, employers and workers to strengthen the collaboration and cooperation needed to promote growth, business sustainability and decent work for all,” said Panudda Boonpala, Deputy Regional Director, ILO.

“Our century of experience demonstrates that labour market stability, productivity and equality can be best realized when there are effective channels for workers to raise their voices and represent their rights and interests vis-a-vis employers and the Government, through tripartism, social dialogue and collective bargaining,” Panudda added. 

Datuk Haji Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) expressed: “MEF hopes that this particular event can be continued regularly so that this can be used as a landmark in benchmarking industrial harmony within the country, and we can use the industrial harmony that we have to enhance our productivity and also make sure Malaysia is able to achieve its desired objective of becoming one of the top 12 most competitive countries in the world”.

President of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC), Mohd Effendy Bin Abdul Ghani, said: “We hope that today’s session will help us explore practical solutions to challenges we face, encourage open communications, and build stronger relationships that benefit both employers and employees. Our goal is to create a win-win situation where businesses thrive, and workers feel valued and respected”.

The ILO’s Labour Law and Industrial Relations Reform (LLR) project in Malaysia is funded by the United States Department of Labor. Since 2017, the project has supported the amendments and implementation of crucial labour legislation in line with international labour standards and worked with its government, employer and worker partners to strengthen the labour inspection and labour dispute resolution system in Malaysia.

For further information, please contact: 

Natsu Nogami

Technical Advisor/Project Manager 

Labour Law and Industrial Relations Reform Project, ILO

nogami@ilo.org