The Ministry of Human Resources, led by Minister Steven Sim, addressed concerns regarding the lack of a workers’ representative in Malaysia’s delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) currently underway in Geneva, Switzerland. KESUMA clarified that the absence is directly linked to the ongoing leadership vacuum within the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), the primary umbrella organization for trade unions in the country.
According to the ministry, the Court of Appeal on February 21, 2025, mandated MTUC to conduct a re-election of its leadership within 90 days, with the process to be managed by a Joint Special Committee. These elections, initially slated for May 2025, have since been postponed to August 10, 2025. Consequently, MTUC currently lacks a legitimate leadership capable of representing Malaysian workers on official platforms, including the ILC.
The ministry emphasised that the JSC was established solely to conduct the re-election and does not possess the mandate to make policy decisions or nominate individuals for international forums. Any such nomination by the JSC for the ILC would fall outside its legal jurisdiction as outlined by the court and has also faced contestation from several MTUC affiliate members.
The Ministry underscored that the selection of Malaysia’s delegation to the ILC was conducted transparently, in full compliance with International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines, and based on legal advice from the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) regarding MTUC’s current status.
Therefore, it has dismissed allegations that the government deliberately obstructed workers’ participation as baseless, misleading, and malicious.
