KUCHING, March 21 — Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen today urged the state government to immediately agree with the proposed amendments to the Sarawak Labour Ordinance (SLO) without further delay.

He said the state government should not have insisted on the inclusion of a provision that it must be consulted by the federal government before approving a Bill to amend the SLO in Parliament.

“Such insistence has caused an inordinate delay in the passing and implementation of the new provisions of the SLO. As a result of which, the ordinary employees are penalised and have fewer rights than their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said

He was responding to a recent statement by the Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration, and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala.

Chong, who is also Stampin Member of Parliament, said the delay in implementing the amended SLO has deprived the workers of their rights as what is being enjoyed by their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia under the latest amendments to the Employment Act which came into effect on January 1 last year.

He noted that under the Employment Act, the threshold salary in Peninsular Malaysia is increased to RM4,000, pointing out that all employees receiving a salary of lower than RM4,000 per month will be protected under the Act.

“The proposed amendments to SLO to accord the same rights to Sarawak employees were postponed to this day and there is still no sign of resolution of the matter in sight,” he said.

He said that under the present SLO the threshold salary in Sarawak is RM2,500, longer working hours for the workers and they do not enjoy both the seven-day paternal leave and 98-day maternal leave.

He said the priority and important agenda for the state government is to get the latest amendments that give the employees in Sarawak better rights and protections.

Gerawat on March 15 had explained the delay in implementing the amended SLO as the state government was still waiting for its request that it be consulted before any future amendment was made to the Ordinance by the federal government to be approved.

He said that the consultation request was to protect the rights and interests of the workers in the state.

He said this had been communicated to the Ministry for Human Resources and he hoped with this, the amendment bill would be tabled by the ministry, together with the amendment to the Sabah Labour Ordinance in the next parliamentary session.