Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is set to host the International Union Youth Leader Apprentice Programme 2025 (IUYLAP 2025) this September.
The Director-General of the Department of Trade Union Affairs (JHEKS) Malaysia, Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab, said IUYLAP 2025 is organized in collaboration with the Sabah Medical Services Union and is expected to serve as a key platform for empowering youth leadership in the trade union movement.
“This gathering of young trade union leaders from Asean countries will bring together 200 participants, including 20 representatives from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, as well as 10 representatives from each state in Malaysia, with a larger participation from Sabah.
“The objective is to foster collaboration between trade unions at the Asean level by sharing youth leadership strategies and best practices in raising awareness about workers’ rights.
“IUYLAP 2025 also encourages the exchange of ideas among young leaders from various sectors and industries to strengthen the role of trade unions in advocating for social justice,” he said after paying a courtesy visit to the Head of State, Tun Musa Aman, at Istana Seri Kinabalu on Thursday.
During the visit, Mohd Asri, along with the Director of the Sabah Department of Industrial Relations, Shuhaida Kassim, briefed Musa on the functions and roles of their respective departments in assisting workers, employers, and trade unions.
Shuhaida said her department acts as a mediator to ensure a good relationship between employers and employees.
“We will be organizing a special forum on workplace harmony on April 23 in Kota Kinabalu, bringing together 100 employers and trade union representatives. “Key topics to be discussed include the Industrial Harmony Index (IHI), a system for measuring industrial harmony, and the Productivity-Linked Wage System (PLWS), which determines wages based on employee productivity,” she said.
In addition, in conjunction with Labour Day on May 1, the department will hold pocket palk sessions to raise awareness about workers’ rights.
Meanwhile, a fun run involving trade union members and the public will take place on April 13 to promote the importance of joining trade unions.
With various initiatives planned throughout the year, both departments remain optimistic about strengthening the role of trade unions, improving worker welfare, and fostering harmonious industrial relations in Sabah. Also present during the courtesy visit was Sabah JHEKS Director, Noraini Ithnin.
