Not True, Government had Weakened Trade Unions.

The government had not weakened the trade unions under the pretext of globalisation. Neither is it true that labour laws favour employers. The country’s labour laws provide a check and balance for workers in terms of retrenchment benefits and compensation. Trade unions can play a role in the global environment by encouraging their members to be trained and re-trained so that they will be employable at any time. There will also be no fear of them being fired due to their multiple skills and capabilities. Trade Unions should also encourage their members to be more receptive to upgrade their skills and knowledge. If Malaysia wants to be more competitive than Vietnam, which is generally regarded as the second Asian miracle after China, it must expand its range of training courses to such areas as microelectronics, new material sciences and biotechnology. There are many foreign investors who want to establish these kinds of businesses in Malaysia and tap our abundant natural resources and skilled workers. I suggest workers master the relevant skills and propel the competitiveness of the country. In the last eight years, the government had spent about RM500 million to provide training and retraining programmes for workers under the Human Resource Development Fund (Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad). Graduates who completed these programmes were reported to have found jobs.