Cops disallow picket as no permit sought
Published on: Friday, November 04, 2011
Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC-Sabah chapter's) planned picket against the Employment Act 1955 fizzled out even before it started at an open area facing Tang Dynasty Hotel, Thursday evening. City police dispersed the gathering just as union members began to display placards showing their objection to several amendments to the Act at about 5.50pm.About 30 people joined the demonstration to express their dissatisfaction over the amendments to the Act that they claimed could jeopardise their job security and workers' rights.
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Some raised their arms to show their opposition to the amendments while several others displayed the placards for several minutes before City Police Chief ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria took a loud hailer and told the group to disperse within 10 minutes. He declared the rally as illegal as MTUC Sabah did not apply for a permit from the police.The gathering led by MTUC Sabah Chairman Awang Ali Awang Raji complied with the police order and those who displayed the placards were asked to give their particulars to the police.Police seized two placards that stated their objection to the amendments to the Act and one placard which called for the withdrawal of the amendments, claiming that the opposition would, otherwise, win in the coming general election.There was a minor commotion when few MTUC members questioned the police for taking down the names and particulars of those displaying the placards, saying it went against the assurance of the Minister.
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Ahmad Sofi said police received information about the picket and deployed 71 policemen to safeguard the area to avoid untoward incidents."No one was detained. We only took the particulars of five people for monitoring purposes," he said.
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On Nov 1, MTUC Sabah Secretary Catherine Jikunan was reported as saying the amendments may see the Sabah Labour Ordinance adjusted to correspond with the new Bill if it is approved by Parliament, thus exposing Sabahans to an unstable job environment, especially in the private sector."It will create a modern day slavery and the new Act will have job seekers register at labour outsourcing companies to be offered job contracts from their employers."This way workers will not have a stable job because there is no guarantee to their jobs like security of tenure. You may be working in a hotel industry one day, plantation next and later construction and so on. So you do not have any permanent employer," Jikunan said.The amendments to the Act were first tabled on July 8, 2010 but withdrawn on Oct 12 the same year. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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