The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has fiercely refuted claims by the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) that it lacks legitimate leadership, squarely blaming the Human Resources Minister for Malaysia’s incomplete delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva.
In a strongly worded statement today, MTUC asserted that its current leadership is unequivocally the Joint Special Committee (JSC), which was established under a Court of Appeal order on February 21, 2025. This directly contradicts KESUMA’s assertion that the absence of a workers’ representative at the ILC is due to a “leadership vacuum” within MTUC.
J Solomon, Chairman of the MTUC Joint Special Committee, declared, “The Minister of Human Resources has no right to mislead the public by stating that MTUC does not have a leadership. It is undisputed that the current leadership of the MTUC is the Joint Special Committee.”
MTUC maintained that, as per the International Labour Organization (ILO) Constitution, it is the sole body responsible for nominating the workers’ delegation, with the Minister’s duty being merely to submit these names. “The Minister should be held responsible for the failure of an incomplete Malaysian delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference,” Solomon added.
The union congress highlighted that its internal leadership election, slated for August 2 and 3, 2025, is “already in motion and progressing well,” dismissing any notion of an administrative void. Solomon further accused the Minister of overstepping boundaries: “The Minister has no business to decide on the MTUC leadership nor interfere in the affairs and administration of MTUC.”
A significant point of contention raised by MTUC is Malaysia’s inclusion on the ILC’s shortlist for discussion regarding the application of ILO standards, specifically Convention 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining). MTUC alleged that the Minister’s actions are a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny of Malaysian labour laws, which they claim contain provisions that foster anti-union discrimination.
“It is now clear that the Minister is misusing the entire government machinery including the Attorney General’s Chambers to cover his mischief,” Solomon stated, intensifying the diplomatic and domestic row. He further argued that if the Minister was genuinely committed to workers’ representation, he would have engaged with the JSC immediately upon receiving the ILC invitation, rather than providing “excuses now.”
MTUC reiterated the critical importance of a “full and strong tripartite delegation” at the ILC, which traditionally comprises representatives from government, employers, and workers. “The Minister, instead of focusing on what are the important issues for Malaysia in this ILC to improve the labour laws for better industrial relations and national development; his attention is on denying MTUC its rightful place in the ILC,” Solomon concluded.
The dispute underscores a deepening rift between the Ministry of Human Resources and the nation’s largest trade union body over representation and the interpretation of legal mandates concerning labour affairs on the international stage.
