Stopping anti-union discrimination in Thailand

By Ng Yap Hwa

Thailand has one of the lowest unionisation rates in South East Asia. In 2017, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that only two per cent of Thai workers were members of trade unions.

There are three key factors contributing to the low unionisation rate in Thailand : Anti-union discrimination supported by the state, fragmentation of Thai enterprises, and a paternalistic regime.

Firstly, Thai workers face strong anti-union discrimination from employers during the organising process and whenever there exist industrial conflicts. The Thai judiciary and the executive facilitates such discrimination in law and practice.

劳工法改革何去何从？

/ 黄业华

马来西亚近期的劳工法改革，其实是我国参与跨太平洋伙伴关系协定（TPP）的结果。2015年，马来西亚政府签订了“马来西亚──美国劳工一致化计划”。政府承诺采取步骤改革劳工法，以符合国际劳工标准。

其后，法律改革没有马上展开，或是因为特朗普上台后，美国单方面退出跨太平洋伙伴关系协定，其后该协定重组为全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定（CPTPP）的关系。

除了贸易自由化的因素外，第十四届大选之前，希望联盟的竞选宣言承诺根据国际劳工组织的公约标准，保障工人的权利。

政党轮替后，人力资源部公开1959年工会法、1967年工业关系法和1955年雇佣法的修订建议。当时马来西亚职工总会和劳工法改革联盟也提出了各自的改革建议书。

Whither labour law reform in Malaysia?

By Ng Yap Hwa

From the outset, the recent Malaysian labour law reform exercise was a result of Malaysia’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In 2015, the Malaysian government signed a Malaysia-US Labour Consistency Plan. It promised to take steps to reform labour laws to conform with International Labour Standards.

The reform exercise did not take place quickly. This may have been due to the unilateral withdrawal of United States from the TPP, and the later rebranding of TPP into Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).